The House and Senate have adopted two very different Budget Reconciliation
bills, requiring that a compromise version be crafted and voted on by both
Chambers. The Senate bill authorizes drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge,
the House bill does not. The House bill makes the antiquated 1872 mining law
worse by opening vast tracks of public lands for sale to corporations, for
non-mining uses. The Senate bill does not include the mining provision.
Neither bill includes language impacting the current moratorium on coastal
drilling; however, there are ongoing efforts to sneak these provisions back
in during conference.

Members of Congress need to hear that their constituents want a bill that is
free from any language that would open-up our nation's coasts to drilling;
authorize drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, coastal drilling
moratorium, or sell off our public lands.

Please take a few minutes to make a phone call to Rep. Jim Leach by December 
9, 2005.  Below please find concepts to use in your message.

Keep the Arctic and mining provisions out of a final budget
reconciliation package. If any these provisions remain in the bill, Congress
members should oppose the final budget reconciliation package. Opening the
Arctic Wildlife Refuge to drilling and liberalizing mining laws to sell-off
millions of acres of public lands threatens our natural heritage. Congress
should not bury far-reaching, controversial and unrelated measures deep in a
budget bill. America deserves an honest dialogue about a real energy future
and public lands policy, not bogus polices crammed into the federal budget.
While the House bill does not contain provisions to drill in the Arctic or
off our coasts there is serious concern that the final bill will become a
vehicle for resurrecting these rejected provisions.

Contact information for Rep. Jim Leach is
in Washington at (202) 225-6576;
in Burlington at (319) 754-1106,
in Cedar Rapids at (319) 363-4773,
in Iowa City at 319-351-0789,
in Ottumwa at (641) 684-4024
or by e-mail at http://www.house.gov/leach/email.htm

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