Arctic Drilling May Fall From House Budget

deadparrot

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Wed Nov-09-05 09:03 PM
Original message

Arctic Drilling May Fall From House Budget

WASHINGTON - Short of votes and running out of time, House GOP leaders may drop a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wilderness area to oil drilling as they try to secure passage of a sweeping budget bill Thursday.

Such a move would be a big setback for President Bush and other advocates of permitting oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which has repeatedly passed the House with bipartisan support when considered as part of broader energy legislation. It's always been dropped in the face of promised filibusters by Senate Democrats.

Now that the ANWR drilling proposal is part of a budget bill immune to Senate filibusters, it is the House that's having difficulty advancing the drilling plan. That's because Democrats oppose the overall budget bill, giving House GOP opponents of drilling in the Arctic great leverage to try and force it out of the bill.

Twenty-five Republicans, led by Rep. Charles Bass (news, bio, voting record) of New Hampshire, have signed a letter asking GOP leaders to strike the Alaskan drilling provision from the broader $54 billion budget cut bill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051110/ap_on_go_co/arctic_refuge

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rodeodance

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Wed Nov-09-05 09:14 PM
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1. Whow--this IS news!

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Pirate Smile

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Wed Nov-09-05 09:20 PM
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2. Daily Kos thread with WP article not yet on their website:

This poster frequently posts WP articles before they are officially posted on the website.

22 House Republicans lead revolt against Arctic drilling

by quaoar

Wed Nov 09, 2005 at 05:59:18 PM PDT
The Washington Post is moving this story for Thursday's paper, which comes on the heels of a story in Wednesday's paper that essentially said proponents of drilling in ANWR were on the verge of victory.

But wait! It seems that 22 House Republicans have vowed to vote no on the sweeping budget bill if Arctic drilling is left in it. So the question now is whether the House leadership will be able to twist enough arms and offer enough payoffs to get the necessary votes, a task made harder without The Hammer.

Story below the fold. No link yet since they haven't posted it to their website.

By Jonathan Weisman
The Washington Post

WASHINGTON -- House Republican leaders neared an expected decision to strip oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Reserve from their massive $54 billion budget-cutting measure Wednesday night as they scrounged for support ahead of a scheduled vote Thursday.

At least 22 Republicans have told the House leadership they will not vote for the sweeping bill unless the drilling provision is removed and they are given assurances that it will not return after House and Senate negotiators hash out a final measure. Even then, several moderate Republicans have said they still would oppose the bill, which would allow states to impose new costs on Medicaid recipients, cut funds for student loans and child support enforcement, trim farm supports, lift a moratorium on "Outer Continental Shelf" offshore energy drilling, and restrict access to food stamps.

Those measures and others would save $54 billion over five years, but moderates have complained that those savings would be more than lost if the House moved forward with a $70 billion tax-cut bill next week. The budget package has fractured House Republicans more than any measure in years.

"It's not just (the Arctic drilling) or the Outer Continental Shelf or food stamps. It's the package in its totality," said Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., who has told GOP leaders the measure will lead to the "dismantling" of the Republican conference.

Update to add list of the 22 Republicans: Clay Shaw, FL-22 Vernon Ehlers, MI-3 Sue Kelly, NY-19 James Walsh, NY-25 Michael Fitzpatrick, PA-8 Jim Gerlach, PA-6 Thomas Petri, WI-6 Mark Kirk, IL-10 Jim Leach, IA-2 Mark Kennedy, MN-6 Jim Ramstad, MN-3 Jeb Bradley, NH-1 Frank LoBiondo, NJ-2 Dave Reichert, WA-8 Nancy L. Johnson, CT-5 Christopher Shays, CT-4 Rob Simmons, CT-2 Mike Castle, DE Tim Johnson, IL-15 Roscoe Bartlett, MD-6 Wayne Gilchrest, MD-1 Joe Schwarz, MI-7 Charles Bass, NH-2 Rodney Frelinghuysen, NJ-11 Jim Saxton, NJ-3 Chris Smith, NJ-4 Sherwood Boehlert, NY-24

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/9/195918/502

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Skink

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Wed Nov-09-05 09:29 PM
Response to Reply #2

3. Unless they agree to our little profits tax the Arctic is off the table..

For now.

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madmark

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Wed Nov-09-05 09:36 PM
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4. i hope so; it is such a national surrender to not be able to maintain

any pristine wilderness because we are so desperate for crude oil. We should have transitioned off that problematic unsustainable energy commodity a long time ago.

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Jersey Ginny

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Wed Nov-09-05 09:36 PM
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5. I'm concerned about a deal for Alito

All of the sudden some Repukes are backing off ANWR? I hope this is not the case but I don't trust the dems.

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Carolab

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Wed Nov-09-05 09:52 PM
Response to Reply #5

6. The House has nothing to do with Alito.

The Senate confirms...or not.

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