Yesterday, in a 51-49 vote, the U.S. Senate paved the way to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The U.S. Senate voted against an amendment to strip ANWR instructions from the Senate Budget Resolution.
While Bush administration officials hailed the vote, Democrats lashed out at Republicans for getting the vote in through the back door – attaching it to the budget resolution, where fewer votes are needed.
NGO’s, who have been working feverishly to bring the few swing votes needed in their favor, said this is only the beginning of the fight. There is a long way to go before the Refuge is opened for oil drilling.
Chairman Domenici (NM), long in favor of opening ANWR said:
The Senate today affirmed its deep concern for our consumers and our economy. We signaled our concern over dropping fuel inventories, record high energy prices and global uncertainty. We signaled our faith in American ingenuity and technology and we voted our conviction that America must do more to meet its own energy needs.
I have argued for months that now is the time to develop ANWR. I congratulate my colleagues on their conviction and their deep commitment to our economy and our people. I congratulate them for recognizing that American ingenuity allows us to develop energy and still preserve our precious environment.
I recognize that the vote today is the first of several votes this year regarding ANWR. I will continue working toward the opportunity to develop our greatest onshore oil reserve. When we do, I think we will one day look back in bewilderment at the doomsday predictions and wonder why we had so little faith in ourselves for so long.
I look forward to the manifestation of my deep conviction that America can do more to meet its own energy needs and still protect the land and the wildlife of ANWR.
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman concurred:
The Senate’s vote today to clear the way for environmentally responsible oil and gas exploration in a small portion of ANWR is a victory for American consumers, America’s economy and America’s energy security.
Alaska’s frozen tundra has the potential to yield billions of barrels of domestically produced oil. Not only could these resources have a meaningful impact on our dependence on imported sources of oil; this means American jobs producing American oil for Americans.
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