*rubs eyes*..we won one..we won one!! *dances*

[Guest guest]

Dear WildAlert Subscriber,

 

The U.S. House of Representative yesterday voted to protect National

Monuments from oil and gas drilling, and other energy development!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! *Your* calls and faxes made the

difference.

 

BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT

The vote was 242-173, with 47 Republicans joining the stampede to

protect our country's Monuments. In other words -- the House made

clear that National Monuments are special places that should be

protected from oil and gas drilling and other energy development.

Moreover, the boundaries should remain exactly as they have been

drawn. (See " How They Voted " below.)

 

The vote came on an amendment sponsored by Rep. Nick Rahall (D-3/WV)

to the Interior Appropriations bill. The amendment protects National

Monuments from fossil fuel development by prohibiting the Interior

Department from spending money on new pre-leasing or leasing

activities under the Mineral Leasing Act and the Outer Continental

Shelf Lands Act.

 

This vote is a big victory for public lands, and a major step toward

insuring protection of our national monuments from the Bush

Administration's ill-founded energy policies. It sends a strong

message to the Administration that there is strong, bi-partisan

support for maintaining the integrity of our nation's special places.

 

OTHER VOTES

In other good news, the House also voted to:

 

- Block a controversial oil and gas lease off the Florida coast.

- Prevent the Administration from changing or reversing the " 3809 "

hard rock mining cleanup regulations.

- Ensure that pilot projects under the Department of Interior's

royalty-in-kind program do not give special deals to oil producers,

collecting less value for the taxpayer than would have been collected

under the regular royalty program.

 

NEXT

The battle isn't over, however. The Interior Appropriations bill now

moves on to the Senate, which has yet to vote on the measure. We'll

keep you posted.

 

HOW THEY VOTED ON THE MONUMENTS AMENDMENT:

**Republicans voting to protect National Monuments**

Bartlett (MD) Bass (NH) Bilirakis (FL) Boehlert (NY) Capito (WV)

Castle (DE) Jo Ann Davis (VA) Ehlers (MI) Ferguson (NJ) Fossella

(NY) Frelinghuysen (NJ) Ganske (IA) Gillmor (OH) Gilman (NY)

Greenwood (PA) Grucci (NY) Horn (CA) Hyde (IL) Nancy Johnson (CT)

Tim Johnson (IL) Kelly (NY) Kennedy (MN) King (NY) Kirk (IL)

LaHood (IL) Latham (IA) Leach (IA) LoBiondo (NJ) McHugh (NY)

Morella (MD) Ney (OH) Northup (KY) Nussle (IA) Petri (WI) Pryce

(OH) Quinn (NY) Ramstad (MN) Roukema (NJ) Saxton (NJ) Scarborough

(FL) Shays (CT) Simmons (CT) Smith (NJ) Sununu (NH) Upton (MI)

Walsh (NY) Weldon (PA)

 

**Democrats voting to protect National Monuments**

Abercrombie (HI) Ackerman (NY) Allen (ME) Andrews (NJ) Baca (CA)

Baird (WA) Baldacci (ME) Baldwin (WI) Barcia (MI) Barrett (WI)

Bentsen (TX) Berkley (NV) Berman (CA) Bishop (GA) Blagojevich (IL)

Blumenauer (OR) Bonior (MI) Borski (PA) Boswell (IA) Boucher (VA)

Boyd (FL) Brady (PA) Brown (FL) Brown (OH) Capps (CA) Capuano

(MA) Cardin (MD) Carson (IN) Carson (OK) Clay (MO) Clayton (NC)

Clement (TN) Clyburn (SC) Condit (CA) Conyers (MI) Costello (IL)

Coyne (PA) Crowley (NY) Cummings (MD) Davis (CA) Davis (FL) Davis

(IL) DeFazio (OR) DeGette (CO) Delahunt (MA) DeLauro (CT) Deutsch

(FL) Dicks (WA) Dingell (MI) Doggett (TX) Dooley (CA) Doyle (PA)

Edwards (TX) Engel (NY) Eshoo (CA) Etheridge (NC) Evans (IL) Farr

(CA) Fattah (PA) Filner (CA) Ford (TN) Frank (MA) Frost (TX)

Gephardt (MO) Gonzalez (TX) Gordon (TN) Green (TX) Gutierrez (IL)

Hall (OH) Harman (CA) Hastings (FL) Hill (IN) Hilliard (AL)

Hinchey (NY) Hinojosa Hoeffel Holden Holt Honda Hooley Hoyer

(MD) Inslee (WA) Jackson (IL) Jackson-Lee (TX) Jefferson (LA)

Johnson, E. B. (TX) Jones (OH) Kanjorski (PA) Kennedy (RI) Kildee

(MI) Kilpatrick (MI) Kind (WI) Kleczka (WI) Kucinich (OH) LaFalce

(NY) Lampson (TX) Langevin (RI) Lantos (CA) Larsen (WA) Larson

(CT) Lee (CA) Levin (MI) Lipinski (IL) Lofgren (CA) Lowey (NY)

Lucas (KY) Luther (MN) Maloney (CT) Maloney (NY) Markey (MA)

Mascara (PA) Matheson (UT) Matsui (CA) McCarthy (MO) McCarthy (NY)

McCollum (MN) McDermott (WA) McGovern (MA) McIntyre (NC) McKinney

(GA) McNulty (NY) Meehan (MA) Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Menendez (NJ)

Millender-McDonald (CA) Miller, George (CA) Mink (HI) Mollohan (WV)

Moore (KS) Moran (VA) Murtha (PA) Nadler (NY) Napolitano (CA)

Oberstar (MN) Obey (WI) Olver (MA) Ortiz (TX) Owens (NY) Pallone

(NJ) Pascrell (NJ) Pastor (AZ) Payne (NJ) Pelosi (CA) Peterson

(MN) Phelps (IL) Pomeroy (ND) Price (NC) Rahall (WV) Rangel (NY)

Reyes (TX) Rivers (MI) Rodriguez (TX) Roemer (IN) Ross (AR)

Rothman (NJ) Roybal-Allard (CA) Sabo (MN) Sanchez (CA) Sandlin

(TX) Sawyer (OH) Schakowsky (IL) Schiff (CA) Scott (VA) Sherman

(CA) Skelton (MO) Slaughter (NY) Smith (WA) Snyder (AR) Solis

(CA) Spratt (SC) Stark (CA) Strickland (OH) Stupak (MI) Tauscher

(CA) Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Thurman (FL) Tierney (MA) Towns

(NY) Turner (TX) Udall (CO) Udall (NM) Velazquez (NY) Visclosky

(IN) Waters (CA) Watson (CA) Watt (NC) Waxman (CA) Weiner (NY)

Wexler (FL) Woolsey (CA) Wu (OR) Wynn (MD)

 

**Independents voting to protect National Monuments**

Sanders (VT)