SENATOR HARKIN AGAIN IMPORTANT IN ARCTIC REFUGE DEBATE As the politicians in Washington, DC get ready to convene the 108th Congress, many in the conservation community are wondering what will be the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. With Republicans now in control of both the Senate and House, President Bush would seem to have a better chance of advancing his pro-drilling agenda. Near the top of the list of items to be addressed in Congress will be energy legislation. The House and Senate each passed their own versions of energy bills in 2002. The House bill included language to open up the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge to oil development. Thankfully, when the Senate voted on this part of their bill in April, Arctic Refuge drilling was rightfully defeated and it was not part of the final Senate energy bill. The two chambers met in conference to try and iron out the differences in their bills but were unsuccessful, and no energy bill passed Congress. Now that the Republicans have the majority in both chambers, some people seem to think that the fate of the Arctic Refuge is sealed - that drilling is a foregone conclusion. Not so fast… While it is likely that energy legislation to be developed in the 108th Congress will be heavily slanted toward more domestic production, there still are many members of Congress that believe the Arctic Refuge is not the answer to America's energy needs. In the April 2002 vote (54-46 in favor of protecting the Arctic Refuge), there was strong bi-partisan support for protecting the Arctic Refuge. The recent elections have not changed this fact; a majority of the Senate continues to believe that opening the Arctic Refuge to oil development is not the answer to our nations energy needs. Their sentiments are in line with an overwhelming majority of the American public who know that we can not drill our way to energy security. In the April vote, Iowa's Senator Tom Harkin signaled his support for protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We need to thank the Senator for this vote. A strong coalition of groups and individuals were able to demonstrate that the people of Iowa believe that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is too amazing to trade it for the equivalent of a six-month supply of oil for America. Concerned citizens wrote letters to Senator Harkin, called and emailed his offices, wrote letters to the editor of their local papers, and visited with Senator Harkin and his staff in DC and back in Iowa. Surely, the proponents of drilling in the Arctic Refuge spent more money in their effort to win this debate, but they were defeated by the overwhelming will of the American public who has consistently voiced their opinion that the Arctic Refuge should remain a pristine place for wildlife and wilderness values. To learn more about this issue and how you can help keep the Arctic Refuge protected, consider attending an Arctic Refuge training & strategy session to be held in the Quad Cities area on Saturday, February 1. For details on the session, contact Scott Hed at (605) 336-6738 or [log in to unmask] Scott is the regional organizer for the Alaska Coalition (www.alaskacoalition.org) and works with groups and concerned individuals in Iowa, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and Minnesota to help protect federal lands in Alaska. Erin E. Jordahl Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280 Des Moines, IA 50310 515-277-8868 [log in to unmask] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp