Tomorrow budget Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IA) is going to meet with his committee to decide what will go in the House budget. Rep. Nussle has a record of demonstrating fiscal discipline and producing common-sense budgets, and because of that he has kept Arctic drilling out of the budget. We want to make sure he does that again this year and keeps the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge wild and pristine! In order to do that we need to increase the support for this issue with his fellow Republicans; therefore, we need you to contact moderate Republicans such as Rep. Jim Leach in our state and urge him to keep Arctic drilling out of the budget. Moderate Republicans will play a critical role in winning this campaign so please call Rep. Leach today at 202-225-6576 and ask your friends and family to do the same! After you call Rep. Leach directly in his D.C. office, please take a second to email him at http://www.house.gov/leach/email.htm and call him and Rep. Nussle using the 1-888-8-WILDAK (1-888-894-5325) toll free number as well. The issue is so important so we need to make sure all types of communication happen! Rep. Jim Nussle can be reached at http://nussle.house.gov/ Thank you so much for taking the time to read this alert and for taking action! You are playing a vital role in winning this campaign! ACTION IS NEEDED NOW!! From the Alaska Coalition, In the next week or so, oil-friendly members of the House and Senate will try a backdoor trick to pass their unpopular proposal to drill for oil in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Our opponents will try to approve Arctic drilling by hiding their proposal in the federal budget bills -- the only bills that are exempt from filibuster or extended debate. This sneaky attempt not only defies the democratic process, but it reveals the fundamental weakness of the push for drilling: proponents of drilling know they cannot pass this through the normal legislative process, so they are resorting to a procedural tactic to prohibit an open and honest debate. WAYS YOU CAN TAKE ACTION: Call your Representatives - Call their district office (phone numbers are listed below) and call them using the Arctic Action Hotline free of cost by dialing 1-888-8-WILDAK (1-888-894-5325) to let your elected officials know that you support protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and do not want to see this pristine wilderness area ruined by the oil industry. MORE INFORMATION: A lot is riding on this decision. This incomparable wilderness is home to more than 250 animal species, including wolves, grizzlies, caribou, and millions of migrating birds. Unfortunately, it is also the target of an intense, relentless lobbying campaign. Unless we stop them, this world-class wilderness will become a vast oil development field. We need you to help make some noise! If we can draw enough attention to this issue, we can stop oil industry allies in Congress from getting away with this attempt to slip Arctic drilling into the budget bill. Once you've taken action, please forward this email message to at least 10 friends. Thank you for your time and for your continued support for wild Alaska! * The Arctic Action Hotline is a free, nationwide action hotline that gives you the opportunity to voice your support for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by directly connecting you with your Congressional offices. When you call: 1. You will be greeted with a brief introduction providing information about the upcoming Congressional fight. 2. You will be asked to enter your zip code and will then be directly connected to your Senator or Representative's office with a message to either thank your Member or urge your Member to help in the fight for the Arctic Refuge. So be sure to listen carefully so you know who you will be speaking with and what the message should be. 3. You will also be given an option to leave personal data for purposes of sending a fax to your legislators. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]