US Senate to Vote on Alaska Refuge Oil Drilling
Date: 16-Mar-05
Country: USA
Author: Tom Doggett
The Senate was set to vote on Wednesday on an amendment from Democrats to strike the drilling language from budget legislation. The ANWR drilling provision was put into the budget resolution because it estimates the federal government could raise more than $5 billion from companies that would lease ANWR tracts to search for oil. Alaska would get half the money.
In addition, the budget resolution cannot be filibustered under Senate rules, as Democrats had threatened to do to any measure that allowed drilling in the refuge.
Drilling in ANWR is a long-sought Republican goal and a key part of the Bush administration's energy plan to boost domestic oil and natural gas supplies.
Moderate Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have fought to keep the refuge closed to drilling to protect caribou, migratory birds and other wildlife in the area known as "America's Serengeti."
Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington is offering an amendment to remove the drilling provision from the Senate budget bill.
But opponents to energy exploration in the refuge appeared to be short of the 51 votes needed in the 100-member Senate to kill the drilling language.
"The amendment will be very close," said Cantwell. "The provision in the bill should be stripped because ... it's wrong energy policy."
CONSERVE OR DRILL?
Cantwell and other drilling opponents said the United States has options other than ANWR to help meet its energy needs.
For example, many Democrats and environmental groups contend the US government should improve mileage requirements for vehicles and seek other ways to reduce the country's demand for oil.
"There is no way for America to drill it's way out of our energy crisis," said Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts. Drilling in ANWR "doesn't change the price of oil for Americans."
Drilling supporters believe they will prevail with their argument that ANWR's billions of barrels of oil are needed to help reduce US reliance on crude imports from volatile regions, such as the Middle East.
"It's time for America to wake up," said Republican Pete Domenici of New Mexico, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
"This great county is now at the mercy of oil from overseas. It is a terrible dependence."
Alaska's congressional delegation is lobbying hard to open ANWR to oil drilling.
"We believe we have the votes" to keep the drilling language in the budget bill, said Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens. "Our dependence on foreign oil is a direct threat to our national security."
Drilling supporters only need 50 votes to save the drilling language, because a tie vote means the provision would stay in the budget legislation.
If the drilling language is kept in the Senate's budget bill, that measure would be reconciled with the House's budget legislation, which does not include an ANWR provision.
But the House has approved separate energy legislation several times that would open ANWR to drilling. Therefore, Domenici said he expected the House would adopt the Senate's drilling provision in a conference committee when the budget bill in finalised.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said, if Congress opens ANWR to energy exploration, the refuge's oil would begin flowing into the US market in 7 to 10 years.