Tom Delay Lets Truth Slip on Drilling in Arctic Refuge
"On Tuesday, during a closed door session of the House GOP leadership, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said that the battle in Congress to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration is a fight over whether energy exploration will be allowed in similarly sensitive areas in the future... ‘It's about precedent,’ DeLay told the assembled Republican leaders while making several references to the ‘symbolism of ANWR,’ according to GOP sources." -- Roll Call, September 25, 2003
"Tom DeLay has now stated plainly what we’ve known all along: that drilling in the Arctic Refuge is not about energy independence or the war on terrorism," said Rodger Schlickeisen, President of Defenders of Wildlife. "The drive to drill for oil in the Arctic Refuge is about oil company profits and lifting barriers to future oil exploration in protected lands, pure and simple."
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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 430,000 members and supporters, 90,000 in California alone, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues. To stay current on hot topics in wildlife conservation, subscribe to DENlines, Defenders of Wildlife’s electronic update and action alert network. To subscribe to DENlines or for more information on Defenders of Wildlife projects, please visit www.defenders.org.
Contact(s):
Brad DeVries, (202) 772-0237William Lutz, (202) 772-0269
