ANWR.org can be quoted fully.
The Senate Budget Committee under Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH) voted 11-9 today to include ANWR legislation in FY 2007 Budget mark-up. Senator Dominici (R-NM) and Senator Stevens (R-AK) drafted language for Chairman Gregg to include $3 billion in revenue from ANWR lease sales in the national budget between 2007-2011. These revenues are estimated by the Office of Management and Budget, and the President’s proposed ’07 Budget, to be $7 billion within the first 5 years.
Comments from politicians in the last few weeks have indicated that ANWR legislation will have a much easier time in the budget reconciliation process if not bogged down by other controversial issues and be able to be listed as a stand alone measure. Last year’s removal of ANWR language in the ’06 Budget was blamed on conflict with too many other controversial issues such as Medicaid and Katrina relief. ANWR language is unique to the Budget as it is one of the few issues that brings money in to the national treasury and thus benefits us all rather than a measure that spends money and costs us all. ANWR revenue and development would neither cost the government money, nor tax the population throughout its lifespan.
Senate Resources Chairman Pete Domenici commented before the vote that 10 years and 3 months ago Congress voted to open ANWR that was vetoed by President Clinton. If that had passed ANWR would be producing today and American debt imported oil dependence would be dramatically reduced.
The Budget mark-up is the first step in process of bring ANWR legislation into law. The Budget Resolution Bill will now go to the floor of the Senate for debate next week. On the Senate floor the bill will be subject to “motions-to-strike” individual aspects of the bill and then a final vote on the bill itself. After approval of a bill by the Senate the bill will go to a Conference Committee between the House and Senate which will work out compromise language between the House and Senate versions. Upon the successful passage out of a joint Conference Committee an exact duplicate copy of the bill will return to both floors for further debate and a final vote.
Debate on the Senate Budget mark-up will hopefully begin next week. It is expected that, similar to last year, motions to strike will be introduced by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and other anti-ANWR politicians to remove ANWR legislation.
The battle for ANWR however has already begun in the House where a letter from 24 “moderate” republicans against including ANWR in the Budget process has been submitted to Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IO). It is not expected that the House Budget Committee will begin debate and mark-up a FY2007 Budget until after the St. Patricks Day recess (March 20-24).
A calendar of Congressional budget activities is available at:
http://www.house.gov/budget/budgcalendar.pdf
Official press releases on the Mark-up are available at the Senate Budget Committee’s web site, http://budget.senate.gov/republican/
Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IO). I'm having a brain fart here.. What state is IO?
"Senate Resources Chairman Pete Domenici commented before the vote that 10 years and 3 months ago Congress voted to open ANWR that was vetoed by President Clinton. If that had passed ANWR would be producing today and American debt imported oil dependence would be dramatically reduced."
VERY GOOD POINT.