-- > > We need calls, e-mails, and faxes into Iowa > Congressman Jim Nussle, who > Chairs the House Budget Committee right away. He is > one of the most > important Members of Congress who has the power to > influence the entire > outcome of whether the Arctic National Wildlife > Refuge is opened to > drilling or not. > > > Thanks for your help on this important matter. > > --Lisa Yee-Litzenberg, Iowa Regional Organizer > National Wildlife Federation (Great Lakes Office) > 213 W. Liberty, Suite 200 > Ann Arbor, MI 48104 > (734) 769-3351, ext. 23 or [log in to unmask] > www.nwf.orr/arcticrefuge > > ********************************************************* > Stop New Threats to the Arctic Refuge: > Contact Congressman Jim Nussle Today! > > Another battle over the Arctic National Wildlife > Refuge appears > inevitable as the 108th Congress works on the > federal budget in > Washington this winter. Faced with a major loss in > the Senate last April > -- when attempts to open the Arctic refuge to oil > drilling were soundly > defeated -- drilling proponents are already busy > looking for ways to > revive the issue. > Iowa Congressman Jim Nussle is under pressure to > promote Arctic Refuge > drilling by including drilling revenues in the > budget, and he needs to > hear from you! > > One option drilling proponents are pursuing is to > include drilling > provisions in the federal budget process. "Drilling > supporters are > looking for any way to avoid an open debate > regarding the Arctic > refuge," says Amy C. Sagalkin, NWF's Alaska lands > legislative > representative. "Last year's Senate vote sent a > powerful message that > Americans are not willing to sacrifice the nation's > last-remaining wild > places for the short-term economic gain of a few oil > companies. If they > can avoid normal congressional channels they will." > > Congressman Jim Nussle plays a key role because as > Chairman of the > House Budget Committee he will have powerful > influence over whether > Arctic refuge drilling revenues are included in the > budget. > > The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to > muskoxen, polar bears, > fox and many other species of wildlife. It serves as > a stopover for a > total of 135 bird species from four continents - > including at least one > bird from every state in the United States. In > addition, 130,000 caribou > migrate north to the refuge's coastal plain to calve > each spring. > > While drilling supporters claim that oil development > will have little > impact on wildlife, oil companies could weave a > 2,000-acre spider web of > wells, pipelines, processing plants and other > facilities across the > coastal plain. > "Rather than forever alter the Arctic refuge for a > small amount of oil > that won't even be available this decade, we need to > look at a broader > energy policy that balances the use of fossil fuels > with conservation, > energy efficiency and the development of alternative > energy sources," > says Sagalkin. "This needs to be a public debate, > not hidden within the > budget." > > Congressman Jim Nussle can prevent inclusion of > Arctic Refuge drilling > provisions in the budget. Contact him today and tell > him to use his > position as Chairman of the House Budget Committee > to oppose the > inclusion of any Arctic refuge drilling provisions > in the federal budget > process. Let him know that a backdoor attempt to > avoid discussion of a > controversial topic is wrong, and that normal > congressional channels > should be followed when discussing the future of the > refuge. > > CALL Congressman Jim Nussle's Washington, DC office > at 202-225-2911 > > Or > > EMAIL him a message directly from the NWF website at > www.nwf.org/action. Feel free to personalize the > suggested text > for greater impact. > > > > > ATTACHMENT part 2 application/msword name=Nussle alert_1.doc __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]