A final, definitive vote on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; The Green Elephant; Summer 2005

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This year, a final, definitive vote will determine the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The recent narrow passage of the 2006 Budget Conference Report by both the House of Representatives and the Senate has set the stage for a climactic vote on the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge later this year.

The conference report assumes entirely speculative and unrealistic oil lease revenue in order to pave the way for the authorization of oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge through upcoming budget reconciliation legislation. This is the result of misguided efforts by GOP leaders to open the Refuge to oil drilling via the budget process—a back-door maneuver designed to circumvent Senate rules and bypass the normal legislative process.

The efforts of REP members and millions of others to protect the Arctic Refuge fell only four votes short in the House (214-211) and six votes short in the Senate (52-47) of getting Congress to reject the conference report.

We were proud of the following Republicans who resolutely voted against the conference report because of their concerns about the Arctic Refuge:

CT — Reps. Nancy Johnson, Christopher Shays and Rob Simmons
DE — Rep. Mike Castle
IA — Rep. Jim Leach
IL — Rep. Tim Johnson
MN — Rep. Jim Ramstad
NH — Rep. Charles Bass
NJ — Reps. Frank LoBiondo and Jim Saxton
NY — Rep. Sherwood Boehlert
OH — Senator Mike DeWine
RI — Senator Lincoln Chafee

The following Republicans who are on record as opposing oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge unfortunately voted for the conference report:

AZ — Senator John McCain
IL — Rep. Mark Kirk
MD — Reps. Roscoe Bartlett and Wayne Gilchrest
ME — Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe
MI — Reps. Vern Ehlers and Joe Schwarz
MN — Rep. Mark Kennedy and Senator Norman Coleman
NH — Rep. Jeb Bradley
NJ — Reps. Michael Ferguson, Rodney Frelinghuysen and Christopher Smith
NY — Reps. Sue Kelly and James Walsh
OR — Senator Gordon Smith
PA — Reps. Mike Fitzpatrick and Jim Gerlach
SC — Rep. Bob Inglis
WI — Reps. Thomas Petri and James Sensenbrenner

The most common rationale offered by these members of Congress for voting in favor of the conference report was that it did not specifically mention the Arctic Refuge or contain language that would specifically allow drilling.

Technically, this is true, but the legislation does require the House Resources and Senate Energy Committees to reduce spending—or increase revenue—by $2.4 billion, the exact amount of the Congressional Budget Office’s pie-in-the-sky estimate of Arctic Refuge oil leasing revenue. Nobody is fooled by that coincidence.

The conference report provides the budget framework, but the House and Senate still must pass the legislation necessary to implement the budget. This reconciliation legislation is where the specific language will be included to authorize oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It is critical that every Republican who honestly opposes drilling in the Refuge take a stand and vote against the budget reconciliation bill. Otherwise, all of their past votes to protect the Refuge will be meaningless.