Senate Vote Doesn't End Arctic Fight. Now Shift Attention to Budget Bill

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Senate Vote Doesn't End Arctic Fight


Drilling Backers Face Several Higher Hurdles in Near Future,
Conservationists Say

WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Senate's narrow vote today to leave approval for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the larger Budget Resolution is a setback, but just the first round in a long fight, according to Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.

"They may have cleared the first hurdle by the skin of their teeth, but this thing isn't over, not by a long shot," Schlickeisen said. "Every step they take from here on out will just get harder. And because drilling supporters had such a tough time with the first move, we're energized to fight that much harder to make sure that, at the end of the day, the American people get their way and the Arctic Refuge remains protected."

The Senate voted 49-51 on Senator Maria Cantwell's (D-Wash.) amendment to strip Arctic Refuge drilling from the budget resolution. With the Senate closely divided on such a high-profile issue, including it in the larger budget resolution could seriously damage the prospects of that bill as it passes through the Senate, the House-Senate conference, and final passage in both chambers. Even then, this provision of the budget resolution will not go into effect unless it makes it into the final Budget Reconciliation bill later in the year, which must itself go through the same arduous process as the budget resolution itself. Congress hasn't managed to complete the budget process in the last two years; if that happens again, drilling backers will be back to square one.

"The Senate just decided to make its job on the budget a whole lot harder. This is a tough vote for us to swallow, but the American people have said all along that they're opposed to Arctic Refuge drilling, and Congress is about to find out just how angry they can get," Schlickeisen said. "Shoehorning a controversial measure like Arctic Refuge drilling into the budget where it doesn't belong was a parliamentary stunt to begin with, and it's one that could very well come back to haunt them."

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-16-2005/0003201484&EDATE=

[BrklynLiberal]

1. So, maybe all hope is not lost????

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4. not while one of us is still breathing . . .

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2. We can also focus our energy on companies who would drill there

Boycotts, Protests. Let's channel our anger.

The government can offer BP Plc, ConocoPhillips and others oil and natural gas leases in the refuge if the U.S. House and Senate agree on a final budget plan, which they failed to do last year.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a6PT.OGLIPGk&refer=top_world_news

[hiley]

3. good diary at kos about

drilling and budget.......
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1665143

[cal04]

5. Kos/It is not time to give up. This battle can still be won.

1. Focus on defeating the entire Senate budget. This is a distinct possibility, if we can cobble together a coalition of Arctic Wildlife Refuge drilling opponents and enough fiscally conservative Republicans to oppose this bloated, deficit-expanding budget. It is very common for budgets to go unapproved. Dems can offer to support the budget if Arctic Wildlife Refuge drilling is removed.

2. The House budget does not include a provision for Arctic drilling. This is somewhat of an anomaly, as the House has been much more enthusiastic in the past about drilling the Arctic Wildlife Refuge than has the Senate. The budgets will have to undergo a reconciliation process, and maybe we can use this as another bottleneck to protect our national treasure.

3. Worst-case scenario--the budget passes both houses with a provision to open the Arctic Wildlife Refuge for drilling. Then we take it to the corporations. BP and ConocoPhillips, while not model corporate citizens, have renounced their desire to drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. We can support them by only buying gas from them and their subsidiaries, while boycotting ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco, the satan-spawn corporations behind this administration and drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. We can hit them where it hurts. A majority of Americans oppose drilling the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and we can get many of them to boycott the soulless Houston motherfuckers who are behind this bullshit.

Boycott update: Call these two corporations and tell them you refuse to buy their gas until they promise not to drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge.
ExxonMobil: [phone]
ChevronTexaco: [phone]

Call these two corporations and thank them for refusing to drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. Inform them that they will benefit from your boycott of ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco.

BP: [phone] and [phone]
ConocoPhillips: [phone]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/16/143634/267

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6. This is a perfect response. No time to lick our wounds. Go Kos!

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