House Opens Arctic National Wildlife Refuge To Oil Drilling And Exploration

In another move signaling that those in Washington are more concerned about the interests of big
business, the House earlier today passed an energy bill that would open up the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and exploration. At the same time, the House also voted to block a
proposal that would have required sport utility vehicles (SUV's) to get an average of 27.5 miles per
gallon, the same as cars, by 2007.

<p>The House's vote of 240-189 for an energy bill which relies on producing more oil and nuclear energy
through the drilling and exploration of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is terrible. The Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge is the biological heart of the last unspoiled Arctic ecosystem in North America.
It is home to thousands of polar bears, grizzly bears, river caribou (who migrate hundreds of miles
each year to the refuge), musk oxen, wolves, millions of migrating birds, and dozens of other wildlife
animals.

<p>Not only will the bill unnecessarily endanger the lives of these animals, but it'll also increase
the potential for oil spills and air pollution. Then there is the destruction of land which will
result from the construction of drilling platforms, pipelines, roads, and other equipment necessary
to support the project.

<p>Rather than push the oil industry to increase their investments in clean, renewable energy, Bush
sought an easy solution to current problems. When will he deal with the ever-increasing problem of
global warming and what kind of future will our children face? These are the issues which need to
be addressed.

<p>In addition to opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the bill would also provide
multi-billion dollar energy companies with $33.5 billion in energy tax breaks and credits for promoting
oil, coal, nuclear, and natural gas development. These tax benefits would result in $8 of every $10
going to coal, oil, nuclear and other energy industries.

<p>And how will we end up paying for this enormous tax break? Some speculate that Congress will
be forced into dipping into our Medicare and/or Social Security trust funds. Nice, huh?

<p>The House earlier today also voted by a 269-160 vote to block a proposal aimed at requiring SUV's
to achieve an average of 27.5 miles per gallon by 2007.

<p>The National Academy of Science reports that the technology exists today to substantially cut motor
fuel use.

<p>By requiring automakers to adhere to these strict guidelines, the "fuel efficiency improvements
would save more oil each year than could be produced by drilling in the Arctic refuge."

<p>Despite the small victory, the provision in the bill which would allow drilling of the refuge
must pass the Senate. Since the Senate is now controlled by Democrats, they have vowed to block any
attempt at opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to greedy oil companies.

<p>We urge everyone to contact their Senators
and tell them to vote against this bill. Those who stand to benefit the most from the bill are the
already rich oil companies while we'll get the short end of the stick.