Easy way to contact members of Congress. Thanks
needed for Jim Leach! Phyllis Mains
Last week the House narrowly passed their budget reconciliation
bill by a vote of 217 to 215. While we are happy to report that this bill
did not include provisions to open the Arctic Refuge to drilling,
there is still a very good chance that the drilling provisions will
resurface in the final budget bill to be voted on next
month.
When Congress returns from their break, members from
both chambers will meet in conference to work out the
differences between their two bills. Since the Senate's
budget reconciliation bill included Arctic Refuge drilling provision,
there will be a strong push from pro-drilling Senators to reinsert
drilling language into the final budget bill. Therefore, it is critical
that we spend the next few weeks preparing for this final and most critical
Arctic vote by maintaining a steady stream of phone calls, emails and letters
into their district offices urging our members to vote against the final
budget bill if it contains Arctic Refuge drilling.
If your Senators and Representative voted to
protect the Arctic Refuge in the past, please be sure to include a message of
thanks for all their hard work and encourage them to keep fighting for the
Arctic Refuge. Information on recent Arctic Refuge votes is included
at the end of this message. Please extend
an extra special thank you to your Representative if he or she was one
of the 29 moderate Republicans who signed the Bass and Bradley letters
urging House leadership to remove Arctic drilling from the House budget
bill and encourage them to do it again if the drilling
provisions resurface in the final budget bill. This list of moderate
Republicans is also included at the end of this message.
Take
Action Now:
1. Start by Emailing your members – Click here or copy and paste the following website to send an email to your members: http://capwiz.com/awc/issues/alert/?alertid=7951076
2. Follow-up with a Call – Click here
or copy and paste the following website to find talking points and phone numbers
for your members' district offices: http://capwiz.com/awc/callalert/index.tt?alertid=8263526&type=CO
3. Get More Involved - Visit
www.alaskaaction.org to get the latest news on Arctic Refuge, participate in discussion
forums about Alaska conservation issues, and familiarize yourself with
our Alaska action toolbox. Our goal is to give you the tools you
need to effectively advocate for the protection of Alaska's wild places in
your own community.
4. Spread the Word -- Forward this alert to your family, friends and colleagues who may also care about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Encourage them to contact their members too!
To see how your Senators voted earlier this month on the Cantwell amendment to remove Arctic Refuge drilling provisions from the Senate budget reconciliation bill go to the following website: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm? congress=109&session=1&vote=00288 A "YEAs" vote means your Senators voted for the Cantwell amendment and in favor of protecting the Arctic Refuge.
To see how your Representative voted earlier this spring on the Markey amendment to remove Arctic Refuge drilling provisions from the House energy bill go to the following website: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll122.xml A "Ayes" vote means your Representative voted for the Markey amendment and in favor of protecting the Arctic Refuge.
List of 29 Moderate Republicans who signed the Bass and/or Bradley Letter asking House leadership to remove Arctic Refuge drilling from the House budget reconciliation bill:
| Simmons (CT02) | Gilchrest (MD01) | Bass (NH02) | Boehlert (NY24) |
| Shays (CT04) | Bartlett (MD06) | LoBiondo (NJ02) | Gerlach (PA06) |
| Johnson (CT05) | Ehlers (MI03) | Saxton (NJ03) | Fitzpatrick (PA08) |
| Castle (DE00) | Schwarz (MI07) | Smith (NJ04) | Inglis (SC04) |
| Leach (IA02) | Ramstad (MN03) | Ferguson (NJ07) | Reichert (WA08) |
| Kirk (IL10) | Kennedy (MN06) | Frelinghuysen (NJ11) | Petri (WI06) |
| Johnson (IL15) | Bradley (NH01) | Kelly (NY19) | Walsh (NY25) |
Best Regards,
Katie Little
Alaska
Coalition