Easy way to contact members of Congress.  Thanks needed for Jim Leach!  
Phyllis Mains

Last week the House narrowly passed their budget reconciliation bill by a
vote of 217 to 215.  While we are happy to report that this bill did not
include provisions to open the Arctic Refuge to drilling, there is still
a very good chance that the drilling provisions will resurface in the
final budget bill to be voted on next month. 

When Congress returns from their break, members from both chambers will
meet in conference to work out the differences between their two bills. 
Since the Senate's budget reconciliation bill included Arctic Refuge
drilling provision,  there will be a strong push from pro-drilling
Senators to reinsert drilling language into the final budget bill.
Therefore, it is critical that we spend the next few weeks preparing for
this final and most critical Arctic vote by maintaining a steady stream
of phone calls, emails and letters into their district offices urging our
members to vote against the final budget bill if it contains Arctic
Refuge drilling. 
If your Senators and Representative voted to protect the Arctic Refuge in
the past, please be sure to include a message of thanks for all their
hard work and encourage them to keep fighting for the Arctic Refuge.
Information on recent Arctic Refuge votes is included at the end of this
message.  Please extend an extra special thank you to your Representative
if he or she was one of the 29 moderate Republicans who signed the Bass
and Bradley letters urging House leadership to remove Arctic drilling
from the House budget bill and encourage them to do it again if the
drilling provisions resurface in the final budget bill. This list of
moderate Republicans is also included at the end of this message.

Take Action Now:
1. Start by Emailing your members – Click here or copy and paste the
following website to send an email to your members:
http://capwiz.com/awc/issues/alert/?alertid=7951076
2. Follow-up with a Call – Click here or copy and paste the following
website to find talking points and phone numbers for your members'
district offices:
http://capwiz.com/awc/callalert/index.tt?alertid=8263526&type=CO 

3. Get More Involved - Visit www.alaskaaction.org to get the latest news
on Arctic Refuge, participate in discussion forums about Alaska
conservation issues, and familiarize yourself with our Alaska action
toolbox.  Our goal is to give you the tools you need to effectively
advocate for the protection of Alaska's wild places in your own
community. 
4. Spread the Word -- Forward this alert to your family, friends and
colleagues who may also care about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 
Encourage them to contact their members too!
To see how your Senators voted earlier this month on the Cantwell
amendment to remove Arctic Refuge drilling provisions from the Senate
budget reconciliation bill go to the following website:  
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.
cfm? congress=109&session=1&vote=00288 A "YEAs" vote means your Senators
voted for the Cantwell amendment and in favor of protecting the Arctic
Refuge.  
To see how your Representative voted earlier this spring on the Markey
amendment to remove Arctic Refuge drilling provisions from the House
energy bill go to the following website:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll122.xml A "Ayes" vote means your
Representative voted for the Markey amendment and in favor of protecting
the Arctic Refuge.  
List of 29 Moderate Republicans who signed the Bass and/or Bradley Letter
asking House leadership to remove Arctic Refuge drilling from the House
budget reconciliation bill:
Simmons (CT02)Gilchrest (MD01)Bass (NH02)Boehlert (NY24)
Shays (CT04)Bartlett (MD06)LoBiondo (NJ02)Gerlach (PA06)
Johnson (CT05)Ehlers (MI03)Saxton (NJ03)Fitzpatrick (PA08)
Castle (DE00)Schwarz (MI07)Smith (NJ04)Inglis (SC04)
Leach (IA02)Ramstad (MN03)Ferguson (NJ07)Reichert (WA08)
Kirk (IL10)Kennedy (MN06)Frelinghuysen (NJ11)Petri (WI06)
Johnson (IL15)Bradley (NH01)Kelly (NY19)Walsh (NY25)
 

Thank you for all you have done thus far and please stay tuned as the
final stages of the budget bill are unveiled in the coming weeks. 
Best Regards,
Katie Little
Alaska Coalition

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