It is SO good to hear of a victory...(I hope it is) Thanks for sending. Joyce Naffier On Thu, 13 Mar 2003 14:07:20 EST erin jordahl IA <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Congratulations, Arctic Activists! > >    As of 8pm last night, the Iowa Arctic campaign is > a victory! The budget bill that Jim Nussle's > committee sent to the floor of the House does *not* > include for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife > Refuge. > >    You shoud all feel very proud of yourselves. The > press conference this morning made note of yesterday's > events, as well as the 100th Anniversary of the > National Wildlife Refuge System. > >    You can find an update on the overall Arctic > situation below... that first paragraph is our work > here in Iowa, and it was crucial.  The threat now > moves to the Resource committee... to whom Nussle > essentially punted the ball. He could have done > better, but he also could have done much worse. The > last minute action to remove drilling provisions is > likely more than anything a sign of your effective > work in his home district. > > Congratulations! > > Best Regards, > > Jay Heeter > > The budget resolution passed by the House Budget > Committee Wednesday night did not include language > endorsing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife > Refuge. Committee Chairman Nussle, for the third year > in a row, declined to include assumptions of drilling > revenue in the resolution, which provides establishes > the broad framework for the annual spending and tax > bills. > > Nevertheless, the threat to the Refuge looms large in > the House of Representatives. The budget resolution > includes across the board spending cuts, and the House > Resources Committee has broad latitude to meet this > target. Resources Chairman Richard Pombo has made no > secret of his intention to pursue Arctic drilling, and > today presided over a hearing on separate legislation > to open the Arctic Refuge. > > The conservation community, with the strong backing of > the American people, will continue to fight to protect > the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge every step of the > way.  Any attempt to sneak Arctic Refuge drilling > into the budget process is a backdoor maneuver that > has nothing to do with the federal budget, and > everything to do with the influence of the oil lobby > in Washington, DC. > > A bipartisan majority in the Senate rejected Arctic > drilling last year, and a growing and increasingly > vocal chorus of voices from both sides of the aisle in > both houses of Congress is standing up to protect the > Refuge. It makes no sense to destroy one of our last, > pristine wild places for what the USGS says would be > less than six months' worth of oil that even the oil > industry admits wouldn't reach consumers for ten > years. > > This bipartisan consensus in Congress is reflecting > the will of the vast majority of the American people. > A new bipartisan poll has found that by an > overwhelming majority -- 62% versus 30% -- of the > American public remains opposed to oil drilling in the > Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and rejects the idea > that impending war with Iraq justifies opening this > rare treasure to oil drilling. > > Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will > do almost nothing to address our reliance on imported > oil. We simply can’t drill our way to energy > independence. The U.S. uses 25 percent of all the oil > consumed in the world each year, but we have a scant > three percent of the world’s oil reserves within our > borders. > > The Department of Energy has estimated that without > drilling in the Arctic Refuge, we’ll import 62 percent > of our oil in the year 2020. And if we do drill? The > Department of Energy says we’ll still be importing 60 > percent of our oil in 2020. > > In good times and in bad, in war and in peace, > Americans have steadfastly protected the unequaled > places that make this country special. America will be > a poorer nation if we fail to permanently protect a > place as magnificent as the Arctic National Wildlife > Refuge. > > Article Published: Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 3:06:19 > AM AKST > > > > ANWR divides Congress > By SAM BISHOP News-Miner Washington Bureau > WASHINGTON--U.S. House and Senate budget writers > revealed opposing decisions Wednesday on whether to > count on revenues from selling oil leases in the > Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in future years. > > The House committee writing the annual budget > resolution said "no" to the idea, while the Senate > committee said "yes." > > If the Senate's approach wins, it could ease the way > to oil drilling in the refuge's coastal plain by > reducing the vote threshold necessary for eventual > Senate passage. If the House approach sticks, > promoters of drilling would need at least 60 votes, > rather than 51, to stop the filibusters threatened by > several senators. > > The House Budget Committee's chairman, Rep. Jim > Nussle, R-Iowa, unveiled his preference in the > proposed budget resolution released Wednesday. The > committee began considering amendments Wednesday and > was expected to work late into the night, but no > proposals to add ANWR revenue language had been seen > as of early evening. > > > > OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS SECTION > > 3/13/2003 > - Sorlie wins Iditarod > - Board OKs predator control > - Native leaders question Leman on state's priorities > - Board grants early school start > - Young open to ideas for transit funding > - Intense search turns up no track of missing brothers > > - Midwest Magic > - Audience gets into cyber theater > - Healy dance troupe gains Fairbanks choreographer > - Watercolorists cover a wide field in 'Past and > Pasture' > - McGilvray to lead singing workshops of Winter > Edition > - District to mull potential program cuts > - Father charged in sex abuse of girl > - Borough Assembly to discuss funding junkyard cleanup > > - Police Report > - Correction > - Business license hike challenged > - House OKs driving regulations > - Teachers housing proposal advances > - U.S. attorney reopens investigation into Alaska > Airlines crash > - Longevity bonus cut likely to face stiff opposition > - More Alpine oil fields may be on the horizon > - Interior shivers beneath wintry blast > > > > Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn., and a House Budget > Committee member, said last week that he asked Nussle > to keep the ANWR language out of the committee's > version. Shays opposes ANWR drilling. > > Across the Capitol grounds Wednesday afternoon, the > Senate Budget Committee's chairman, Sen. Don Nickles, > R-Okla., opened his committee hearing on the budget > resolution. His version contains a proposal to count > on $2.15 billion in revenue from ANWR between 2004 and > 2013. No amendments were expected until today. > > Nickles' proposal, known as the "chairman's mark," > would order the Senate Energy and Natural Resources > Committee to create legislation that would produce the > $2.15 billion. The money would "decrease outlays," > i.e., reduce federal spending from general funds. > > "The reconciled savings are consistent with opening up > the 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge > for oil exploration and production in order to > decrease our dependence on foreign oil," according to > a summary of Nickles' proposal. > > The legislation ordered up from the Energy committee > would be considered a "reconciliation" bill because it > would eliminate an existing federal law (prohibiting > oil leasing on ANWR's coastal plain) in order to > "reconcile" statutes with the budget resolution. > > Reconciliation bills are not subject to a filibuster > and thus can be passed with 51 votes in the > Republican-controlled but still closely divided > Senate. > > The House, which is under more firm Republican > control, approved drilling in ANWR in 2001 and > supporters expect it to do the same this year. > Filibusters are not permitted under the House rules, > so a reconciliation bill would face a simple majority > vote in the House as well. > > The question of the moment, though, is whether the > stage will be set for that reconciliation bill. > > Presumably, a senator on Nickles' Budget committee > today could propose an amendment to strike the ANWR > language. However, the Republicans on the committee > are all firm supporters of ANWR drilling, and they > have a majority. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and an > ANWR drilling opponent, served on the committee in > recent years but moved off at the start of this > session. > > Nickles said Wednesday he hopes to have his proposal > on the Senate floor by next week. > > So if the ANWR language sticks in Nickles' bill while > the House bill remains clear of it through final > passage, the difference will be resolved in a > conference committee. Members there are chosen by the > House and Senate leadership, both of which support > ANWR drilling. > > The conference committee will work out a final > version, which must be accepted by both houses. > Nickles said Wednesday he hopes to meet the April 15 > deadline Congress has set for itself for completion of > that work. > > President Bush also backs ANWR drilling. > > Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton delivered that > message to the House Resources Committee Wednesday > morning. The committee is considering separate > legislation to open ANWR, similar to that passed by > the House in 2001. > > "It is an area of flat, white nothingness," Norton > said while vowing to counter advertising from > environmental groups. > > Alaska already has 140 million acres--an area the size > of California and New York together--set aside for > conservation, she said. The 1.5-million-acre coastal > plain contains more oil alone than most of the western > United States, she said. It would be developed with > the best modern technology--movable pads and ice > roads--under the most strict rules in the world. > > "You look at the standards in other countries ... they > are far less stringent that what America would impose > in ANWR," she said. > > Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., took issue with Norton's > characterization of ANWR's wilderness value. > > "It may not have the 300-foot sequoias, it may not > have the deep canyons of the Grand Canyon, but it does > have values that the American people have come to > prize," Miller said. > > Americans will not support compromising those values > when the government is doing so little to reduce > demand for petroleum, Miller said. > > "You want to put it in a car that gets 12 miles per > gallon," he said. "It doesn't make any sense." > > Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, said Congress intended that > the area be developed when it exempted the coastal > plain from the wilderness designation it applied to 8 > million other acres in ANWR in 1980. > > "Scoop Jackson did this, Mo Udall did this, and they > agreed to this," Young said, referring to the former > senator from Washington and representative from > Arizona, both Democrats. > > He also said Congress should at least let Native > corporations drill. The Arctic Slope Regional Corp. > obtained mineral rights on 90,000 acres inside the > refuge boundary in a mid-'80s land swap, but the deal > prohibits them from drilling unless Congress opens the > entire area. > > "The forked tongue of the white man is at work again," > Young said. "To do this to the Native people up there > is just wrong." > > Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., and the Resources > committee chairman, said he wants to hold a field > hearing on the issue in Kaktovik, the village on > Barter Island just north of the refuge. The village > corporation owns the surface overlying the acreage on > which ASRC holds mineral rights and also has advocated > drilling. > > Pombo said he would hold the hearing to consider not > just the development bill but also a rival proposal > from Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., that would make the > coastal plain an official wilderness area and thus > off-limits to drilling. > > "I thank you for the hearing," Markey responded. "I > just wish it would be held before we have a markup of > the bill here in the committee. I know that that isn't > going to happen because there has already been a > decision by the majority that they want to drill in > the refuge." > > Washington, D.C., reporter Sam Bishop can be reached > at [log in to unmask] or (202) 662-8721. > > > > ===== > > Jay Heeter > Alaska Coalition of Iowa > 2010 E. 38th Street, Suite 204 > Davenport, IA 52807-1133 > (563) 359-6395 office > (919) 641-6903 cell > www.alaskacoalition.org > > > > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]