Domestic Policy

Defense Budget Bill: Senate Democrats Threaten Fillibuster To Stop Republican ANWR Oil Drilling

December 16, 2005 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅  Print Article ⋅ Post a comment

Drilling in Alaska, is it in America’s best interests? Should the Defense Budget bill be held up because of the issue? Many feel America’s self defense is being held hostage for the provision of a few more drops of oil, others disagree. Do you care if they drill in Alaska?

In the midst of the defense budget bill is a hidden topic that may squash the whole bill, in a neat little corner tucked away is a small notation on the ANWR oil issue. Senate Democrats noticed the addition Thursday and vowed to fight any effort by Republicans to use a critical Defense Department budget bill to unlock Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

The Bush Administration considers Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge potential to be about 10 billion barrels of crude oil, they consider this a key part of the administration’s national energy plan to enhance domestic petroleum supplies and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.

The majority of Democrats in the Senate are against drilling in the Alaskan refuge, they are arguing that e the Defense Department budget bill should not be hijacked to settle the issue. The Democrats see the attachment of the ANWR provision to the defense spending measure as a last ditch effort to open the refuge to oil drilling. Republicans in the House threatened to reject a separate budget deficit reduction bill if that legislation contained the provision to drill in Alaska.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid believes that the addition of any ANWR language into a defense bill would be argued and killed in the Senate. John Kerry went on to state that, “It’s appalling that the United States Senate is willing to hold our troops and hurricane victims hostage to their desperate attempts to satisfy big oil and drill in the Arctic Refuge.” And completing the Democratic pile on is Russ Feingold, he stated, “Debate about the future of the Arctic Refuge is a debate about our failed energy policy and our environmental legacy, not about the funding of our men and women and uniform, and it would be grossly irresponsible to include the drilling provision in the final Defense Appropriations bill.” Many Democrats have advised they will filibuster any attempt by the Republicans to hitch this issue onto the Defense Budget bill.

If the bill was to pass with the legislature you can bet the environmentalist groups will be out in full force. Do you know where your elected politician stands on this issue? Utilize our government contacts link to find your elected official and ask him about his\her position.
Senate Democrats Slow Republicans’ Push

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