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For Immediate Release
Fight to Protect the Arctic Refuge Reaches Critical Point Refuge Faces Most Dire Threat in Decades
Statement of Rodger Schlickeisen, President, Defenders of Wildlife
WASHINGTON, DC -- The battle over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has reached a fever pitch. Despite broad public support for protecting this pristine wilderness area, would-be drillers in the Bush administration and Congress are continuing their relentless pursuit to drill in the Refuge.
Instead of engaging in fair and open public debate on the issue, drilling proponents are doing an "end run" by including highly speculative revenues from drilling in the Refuge as part of the federal budget bill. It's a convenient way to get the drills going without normal public discussion or scrutiny. It's also the only way drilling proponents can open the Refuge because they lack the votes to do it with a straightforward up-or-down vote. This is simply not the way to go about the people's business.
Fortunately, House Budget Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IA) sees things a bit differently. Details are still a bit sketchy, but so far it appears Nussle declined to do the President's bidding on the Arctic Refuge and did not include drilling revenues in his budget mark. He agrees with most fair observers that to do so would be a perversion of the budget process and we applaud him for his foresight and integrity. But we also know that other members of the House won't sit idly by and let the issue rest.
In the Senate, Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg chose another path. He bowed to the wishes of the President and included drilling revenues in the Senate Budget mark. While Chairman Gregg may say he is just doing what the President asked, he has willingly declined many of the President's other budget requests. Think about it. In the end, a New Hampshire Senator, Judd Gregg, in his first year as budget chairman, may single-handedly open the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge after decades of protection.
The next days and weeks will ultimately decide the fate of this beautiful wilderness area. I encourage all Senators to vote in favor of a forthcoming amendment by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to strike Senator Gregg's inclusion of speculative Refuge drilling revenues in the budget. Through this vote, Senators can continue in the tradition of Republican and Democratic Presidents and Members of Congress who have acted to protect both the congressional budget process and this pristine wilderness area for forty four years.
For more information, please visit Save Arctic Refuge.
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