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Democrats face battle in blocking ANWR drilling

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USA: January 10, 2003

 

 

WASHINGTON - Blocking an attempt to drill for oil in an Alaska wildlife refuge

will be tough if the Republican majority includes the plan in federal budget

legislation, Senate Democrats said.

 

 

Sen. Rick Santorum, the Republican Senate Conference chairman, said that passing

legislation to overhaul U.S. energy policy was one of the Republicans' top five

priorities in the new Congress.

He said the energy legislation would " absolutely " include a provision to open

the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling - a move that Democrats were

able to head off in the last Senate session.

 

Democrats John Kerry of Massachusetts and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut - one

of whom may be their party's presidential candidate in the 2004 election - have

promised to filibuster legislation that would open the ANWR to oil exploration.

 

" I for one would filibuster any attempt to drill for oil in ANWR, " Lieberman

told Reuters this week.

 

While Republicans will control Congress following big wins in last November's

elections, they are still short of the 60 votes needed in the 100-member Senate

to cut off debate and vote on controversial bills like giving energy firms

access to the refuge.

 

However, Republicans could tack an ANWR drilling amendment to legislation

approving the federal budget, which would require a simple majority of 51 votes.

 

" If (ANWR) comes up as a part of the budget reconciliation we've got a bigger

problem and we've got to try to get our 51 votes against (it), " Lieberman said.

 

Several years ago Congress' parliamentarian ruled that an ANWR drilling

amendment was appropriate for the budget bill because leasing tracts in the

refuge to oil firms would raise money for federal programs.

 

Lawmakers attached the provision to the spending bill, but President Bill

Clinton vetoed the legislation at the time.

 

The refuge, which is home to polar bears, caribou and other wildlife, sprawls

across 19 million acres (7.7 million hectares) of Alaska's northeast corner.

 

Democrats and environmentalists argue there is not enough oil in the refuge to

justify harming the wildlife that lives there and it could take eight years for

the refuge's oil to reach the market.

 

President George W. Bush wants to tap the refuge's potential 16 billion barrels

of oil to help reduce U.S. crude imports from overseas.

 

The United States consumes about 20 million barrels of crude a day, with imports

accounting for about 55 percent of oil supplies.

 

The Bush administration also says improved drilling technology would allow

energy firms to search for oil and leave a small footprint in the refuge.

 

It's unclear how hard the White House will push to pass energy legislation in

the Congress, as much of President Bush's national energy plan has already been

implemented and he could take another bruising in the fight over opening ANWR.

 

Bush did not put drilling in the refuge on his list of policy priorities for

this year.

 

In a related matter, the Bush administration this week renewed for 30 years the

government's right-of-way agreement for the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System to

continue operating over federal lands.

 

The 800-mile pipeline transports about 1 million barrels of crude a day, equal

to 17 percent of the oil produced in the United States.

 

Republican Rep. Don Young of Alaska, believing Congress will approve ANWR

drilling, welcomed the administration's decision and said there was enough

excess capacity in the pipeline to deliver 1 million barrels crude a day from

the refuge. (Additional reporting by Tom Doggett and Susan Cornwell).

 

 

 

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE