Fwd: Lawmakers Drop Arctic Drilling Provision From Budget Bill

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Just say NO...to Exxon

YES to the wildlife!!

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-100905anwr_wr,0,3324231.story?\

coll=la-story-footer & track=morenews

 

 

Lawmakers Drop Arctic Drilling Provision From Budget Bill

From Associated Press

House leaders today abandoned an attempt to push through a hotly contested plan

to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling, fearing it would jeopardize

approval of a sweeping budget bill Thursday.

 

They also dropped from the budget document plans to allow states to authorize

oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts -- regions currently

under a drilling moratorium.

 

The actions were a stunning setback for those who have tried for years to open a

coastal strip of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, to oil

development, and a victory for environmentalists, who have lobbied hard against

the drilling provisions. President Bush has made drilling in the Alaska refuge

one of his top energy priorities.

 

The House Rules Committee formalized the change late today by issuing the terms

of the debate when the House takes up the budget package on Thursday.

 

The decision to drop the ANWR drilling language came after GOP moderates said

they would oppose the budget if it was kept in the bill. The offshore drilling

provision was also viewed as too contentious and a threat to the bill,

especially in the Senate.

 

Last week, the Senate included ANWR drilling in its version of the budget, so

the matter will have to be thrashed out in negotiations between the Senate and

House if the budget is approved by the House.

 

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