[Mb-civic] Arctic Oil Drilling Goes to House Vote - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

Arctic Oil Drilling Goes to House Vote
Energy Needs Cited By Measure's Backers

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 9, 2005; Page A03

For 25 years, environmentalists have staved off drilling in an oil-rich, 
1.5-million-acre stretch of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a 
wilderness that shelters birthing caribou as well as musk oxen and 
millions of migratory birds. But record-high gasoline prices and last 
year's electoral gains by Republicans may have shifted the political 
dynamic, and Congress now stands on the verge of opening the region to 
energy development.

On Thursday the Senate voted 51 to 48 to allow drilling in the refuge as 
part of a massive budget package; this week the House is expected to 
take up its version, probably with identical wording. The House vote 
remains too close to call, but proponents say they are within reach of 
victory.
"I'm optimistic," said Bob Moran, a Washington representative for the 
American Petroleum Institute who says at least 5 billion barrels of oil 
lie beneath the refuge. "We're on the 10-yard line, and it's been a 
25-year-plus game. The crowd is with us, and we're going to make it."

But opponents, including a coalition of moderate Republicans, liberal 
Democrats and environmentalists, say they may still prevail because, 
they argue, the measure will do little to ease the current energy 
crunch. House GOP leaders are scrambling to gather votes for their bill, 
which has angered some rank-and-file Republicans because of its offshore 
and Alaska drilling provisions, as well as cuts to food stamps and 
student loans.

"Hope springs eternal that we can pull the rabbit out of the hat," said 
Science Committee Chairman Sherwood L. Boehlert (R-N.Y.), a vocal critic 
of drilling in the Arctic reserve. "I really do think moderates are 
coming into their own. We're flexing our muscles collectively."

The Alaskan refuge entered political limbo a quarter-century ago -- just 
after President Jimmy Carter lost his reelection bid -- when Congress 
passed legislation saying only it could ban or approve drilling there. 
The GOP-controlled Congress approved drilling in a 1995 budget bill, but 
President Bill Clinton vetoed the measure. Ever since he took office, 
President Bush has been pushing to explore for oil in the refuge.

Until this year the two sides had been at a standoff and ANWR, with its 
unwieldy acronym, had become shorthand for either pristine wilderness or 
untapped energy wealth.

"It's become almost a symbol for both sides," said Cindy Shogan, 
executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, which opposes 
drilling. "The question is whether the American people and their culture 
are going to protect the places that are special or develop everything."

The oil industry picked up a net three Senate votes after the 2004 
elections, when Republicans Jim DeMint (S.C.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Mel 
R. Martinez (Fla.) and John Thune (S.D.) replaced drilling opponents. 
Environmentalists got just one new vote in Ken Salazar (D-Colo.). In 
March the Senate approved oil exploration by 51 to 49 in its nonbinding 
budget resolution; the reconciliation bill before Congress now is the 
one that legally authorizes drilling.

Two dozen moderate House Republicans have warned the leadership not to 
force a vote on the Arctic refuge as part of next week's budget bill, 
and House leaders are considering yanking the provision only to reinsert 
it during negotiations with the Senate.

"I feel very strongly about [opposing drilling], but I also feel 
strongly about the need to reduce the budget's deficit," said Rep. Jeb 
Bradley (R-N.H.), who wrote the warning letter to House leaders in August.

Massachusetts Rep. Edward J. Markey, who has led the Democrats' fight to 
preserve the refuge, warned Friday that Bradley and others may pay a 
price in the 2006 elections if they vote for oil exploration.

(continued)...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/08/AR2005110801583.html?nav=hcmodule
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