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Subject: It's happening -- the Arctic and the Senate Energy bill!
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Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 17:16:01 -0800
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Hello, Arctic Arctivists -- it's happening -- as we knew it would : Action
on the Arctic, in the context of the Energy bill about to be debated and
votedf in the Senate.  Time to let those senators hear from us!  Here's the
message from Debbie Sease, legislative director in our DC office: (excuse
duplication if you have received this.)

--- Forwarded by Vicky Hoover/Sierraclub on 02/22/2002 05:02 PM -----

                    Debbie Sease
                                         To:     #Staff-All, #BOD-PLUS@SIERRACLUB,
                    02/22/2002           [log in to unmask],
                    03:40 PM             [log in to unmask]
                                         cc:
                                         Subject:     Action next week on Sierra Club
                                         Priority
                                         More than you may want to know on the Energy Bill
                                         in Senate





Next week the Senate will begin consideration of Senator Daschle's energy
bill, unless things change -- which is always possible in the Senate.
Debate will last for at least several days and maybe several weeks.  It may
be interrupted for other legislation.  We anticipate many amendments will
be offered to weaken the bill, as well as some amendments may be offered to
strengthen it.

Thanks to the efforts of so many volunteers and staff in all parts of the
Club on this huge priority, we are as ready for this fight as we can be!
But our work is not over yet.

Details follow about timing, key amendments, and our message to Senators:

Timing

Currently, the Senate plans to take up the Energy Bill on Wednesday the
27th, but this is predicated on the assumption that when the Campaign
Finance Reform bill is brought up on Tuesday some Senators will object and
launch a filibuster ( a procedural tactic that delays action.) This would
then give the Senate time to turn their attention to the Energy bill on
Wednesday -- at least until they were ready to return to CFR.  Under any
case, the Energy debate will not finish up next week.

Amendments and Process

The fight over Daschle's energy bill began last week when Senator Levin of
Michigan, objected when Daschle introduced the bill.  Daschle withdrew the
bill and instead introduced it as an amendment to S. 517 -- an obscure
energy bill. We expect extended debate, many amendments, and perhaps
multiple filibusters (some from friends and some from foes.  We also expect
multiple cloture votes (a procedural vote that forces an end to the
filibuster.)  However, it is completely unclear what the order of any of
these will be.

Most likely, the debate will start with some relatively noncontroversial
amendments.  Our opponents are likely to save the more contentious ones for
later, after momentum has been developed.  We hear that the Administration
is interested in getting some bill out of the Senate, as a "ticket to
conference" with the House bill which passed last summer.

Among the hostile amendments we expect will be offered are:

Amendment to add Arctic drilling to the bill, and if that fails, some kind
of compromise Arctic drilling to the bill -- Arctic lite.

Amendment to weaken or strip out the Fuel Economy (CAFE) provisions of the
bill. (the bill currently contains a Kerry compromise that calls for
raising CAFE standards to 35mpg)

Amendment to weaken or strip out the requirement for increasing the
percentage of energy we generate from renewable fuels. (the bill currently
calls for 10% renewable fuels by the year 2020.)

Amendment to "streamline" the permitting process for any kind of energy
development.  This would provide a fast track for bypassing environmental
safeguards when considering new energy developments.

Among the amendments that may be offered to strengthen the bill are:

Amendment to increase the renewable fuel requirement from 10% by 2020 to
20% by 2020

Amendment to provide additional protection from energy developments for
special places on the public lands.

These are just the highlights of good and bad amendments that may be
offered.  There will probably be many more.

Our Message to the Senators

In the next weeks as this bill is being debated, we will want to keep up
the pressure on the Senate to oppose all amendments that would weaken the
Energy bill, and support amendments to improve it.  As we approach votes on
particular amendments, we will be sending out action alerts on those
specific issues, but for now, we want to urge Senators to:

Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling by supporting
a filibuster and voting against cloture on an Arctic drilling amendment.

Support the new increased fuel economy (CAFE) standards in the bill, by
opposing any amendment to strike the fuel economy standards  or to weaken
the standards.

Support the requirement that at least 10% of our power be generated from
renewable fuels (such as solar and wind) by the year 2020, by opposing any
amendments to strip or weaken the provision, and if Senator Jeffords offers
an amendment to increase this to 20% vote for it.

Protect our public lands by opposing any amendments to "streamline" new
energy developments to bypass environmental safeguards.  Support any
amendments to provide additional protection from energy development for
special places on the public lands.


Lots of calls to Senators needed!  Thanx
__________________


Vicky Hoover
Sierra Club Alaska Task Force
(415)977-5527
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