WILDLANDS CAMPAIGN -- URGENT -- Your calls are needed to keep the Arctic Refuge off-limits to oil drilling Some Senators are using the current hike in gas prices (a hike due to OPEC's manipulation of the oil market) to vie for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. The coastal plain of the Refuge is the last sliver of Alaska's North Slope (5% of the North Slope) not currently available for oil and gas development. Moreover, no one even knows if -- or how much -- oil is actually there. At best, estimates show less than a six-month supply, which will take ten years to bring online. Besides, no speculative long or short-term benefit is worth exploiting one of America's most unique natural treasures. The latest attack on the Refuge is a provision in the Budget bill that would encourage drilling by using imaginary revenues from drilling in the coastal plain to determine overall budget levels. Senator Grassley is on the Senate Budget Committee ----- let's let him hear from us about protecting the Arctic coastal plain. (Capitol Switchboard: 202/224-3121) e-mail [log in to unmask] We expect a vote in the Senate Budget Committee this Wednesday (3/29) Jane Clark [log in to unmask] SENATE BILL WILL INCLUDE ARCTIC DRILLING REVENUES - ANOTHER BACK DOOR ATTEMPT TO PLUNDER PUBLIC LANDS FOR PRIVATE PROFIT The crown jewel of our National Wildlife System is under attack! Under the guise of combating high gas prices some politicians are pressing for passage of a 2001 budget bill that would include a resolution by Senate Budget Committee Chair Pete Domenici (R-NM) to include a large amount of Arctic Coastal plain oil revenues in the budget. This would give the green light to Congress to pass legislation authored by Alaska Senator Frank Murkowski to proceed with drilling in the coastal plain. Often called "America's Serengeti" because of its abundant caribou, polar bear, grizzly, wolf and other wildlife populations, the remote and pristine coastal plain represents the last five-percent of Alaska's Arctic Slope not already open to development. The same politicians who now advocate plundering this natural treasure have repeatedly blocked sound conservation measures like raising fuel economy standards for our nation's automobiles and increasing the use of alternative fuels. Their real goal is to use political scare tactics to turn more of our public lands over to multinational developers. Call your Senators today (Capitol Switchboard: 202/224-3121) and let them know you oppose plundering our nation's last vestige of protected Arctic wilderness for a questionable, short-term supply of oil. Please urge them to oppose language by Senator Domenici to include Arctic oil revenues in the budget bill; ask them instead to support an amendment to the budget bill that would strike Arctic Refuge drilling revenues from the federal budget bill. In addition, urge them to cosponsor legislation by Senator William Roth (S.867) that will designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain as wilderness and thus forever safeguard the spectacular area and the wildlife that depend on it. We expect a vote in the Senate Budget Committee this Wednesday (3/29) and a full Senate vote as early as next week so please make your call today! And please distribute this alert far and wide so that all Senators can receive calls. Thank you for your help! Members of the Senate Budget Committee: Republicans: Chair, Pete Domenici, NM Spencer Abraham, MI Christopher Bond, MO Bill Frist, TN Slade Gorton, WA Rod Grams, MN Charles Grassley, IA Judd Gregg, NH Don Nickles, OK Gordon Smith, OR Olympia Snowe, ME Democrats: Frank Lautenberg, NJ, ranking member Barbara Boxer, CA Kent Conrad, ND Richard Durbin, IL Russ Feingold, WI Ernest Hollings, SC Tim Johnson, SD Patty Murray, WA Paul Sarbanes, MD Ron Wyden, OR WILDLANDS CAMPAIGN -- URGENT -- Your calls are needed RIGHT AWAY to keep the Arctic Refuge off-limits to oil drilling - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]