Six Republican Senators Turn Against Bush on ANWR

Reuters ^ | 1/31/03

[areafiftyone]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration's plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to drilling suffered a major blow on Friday, as six Republican senators said they opposed inserting language to give oil companies access to the refuge into a must-pass budget bill.

ANWR, which is home to polar bears, caribou and other wildlife, sprawls across 19 million acres of Alaska's northeast corner.

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed energy legislation last year that would have opened ANWR to drilling.

The White House contends that the refuge's potential 16 billion barrels of crude must be tapped to help reduce U.S. dependence on oil imports from unfriendly countries like Iraq.

Drilling is opposed by many Democrats and environmental groups, who say the administration should cut oil imports by boosting the mileage standards of gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles.

Six of the Senate's 51 Republicans, including former presidential candidate John McCain of Arizona, on Friday announced they would not go along with a plan to tack ANWR drilling language onto a massive spending bill this spring that would enact the new 2004 budget for the federal government.

The senators said drilling in the Alaskan refuge is an important policy issue that should be openly debated, not slipped into an unrelated bill.

"Because the opening of the Arctic refuge to drilling raises a host of policy concerns, including serious environmental ramifications, we do not believe this issue should be injected in the budget process," the lawmakers said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Don Nickles.

The letter is the latest twist in a two-year legislative battle over drilling in the Alaskan refuge.

The Democratic-led Senate last year soundly defeated efforts to open the refuge, when drilling supporters fell short of the 60 votes needed to end debate on the controversial proposal and allow a final vote on the measure.

To get around a filibuster this time around, supporters of opening the refuge want to attach drilling language to must-pass legislation to fund the 2004 budget for the federal government. They argue that such language is appropriate for budget legislation because of the fees the government would collect from leasing tracts in the refuge to oil companies.

Under Senate rules, budget legislation cannot be filibustered and only 50 votes would be needed to approve the bill and an attached ANWR drilling provision.

In addition to McCain, the letter was signed by Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois and Mike DeWine of Ohio.

In his State of the Union speech to Congress earlier this week, President Bush urged lawmakers to pass legislation enacting his national energy plan, which includes drilling in the refuge.

Two Democratic presidential hopefuls, Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, oppose ANWR drilling and have promised to filibuster any energy bill that would open the refuge.

[Cincinatus]

You gotta be quick to comment on those DU posts!

[Diddle E. Squat]

Exactly. This stated opposition now(before CC) gives the 6 the cover they need to actually vote for it. They can then claim that while they were opposed to it and fought against it, the bundling and the more pressing needs for the budget, war, etc. gave them no choice, they did all they could. Hehe.

[CPT Clay]

Please say it is true!!!!

[Xenalyte]

In addition to McCain, the letter was signed by Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois and Mike DeWine of Ohio.

President Bush has been dissed. Round up the usual suspects.

[Xenalyte]

Great minds and all that!

[Kip Lange]

You know, when they laid the pipeline YEARS ago in the '70s, I recall somebody working for Alcoa commenting on the caribou: "The caribou? THEY LOVE US, the pipeline is the only warm thing they have within miles, we can't get RID OF THEM!"

;-)

--CWL

P.S. Re-education is indeed needed. One might call it, even, deprogramming...

[Boxsford]

Republicans that think for themselves (re Collins/Snowe)

You obviously do not know what you are talking about when it comes to Snowe and Collins from Maine. This is not a debate on thier "free thinking". It's about their own personal liberal leanings which are out of step with conservative thought. Those two liberals who get elected each year in Maine do so by Democrats because they love the bacon those two bring home to Maine.

[stalin]

That estimate is very optimistic. Even if it is true ( which is unlikely ) the oil companies are not going to pump it fast enough to lower the price. It costs 18 a barrel to produce. They need to price to be high to make it cost effective to drill in the first place.

It's dumb economics to pump our oil for $18 a barrel when we can pump theirs for $4. Politicians want to do it because of oil company campaign contributions not because of foreign dependence or economics.

Same reason we pay out 15 billion in farm subsidies. Wealthy farmers that get the most benefit pay 20 million in contributions and get 14 Billion in return directly from the treasury ; thanks to bribery not economics.

[Corporate Law]

DeWine is such an embarrassment. Between him and Taft, it is a wonder that the Republican Party still is thriving in Ohio. His son the city councilman is an even bigger idiot.

[stalin]

I agree with you. They aren't all free thinkers just because they disagree with their party but it is better to have even those two in the party then for Maine to elect Democrates instead.

[InterceptPoint]

The money we pay for Arab oil finances the Islamo-facists that plot day and night to destroy America.

The Republican National Committee should run some of those clever SUV/Drug User ads that make this connection. If you don't support ANWR then you are supporting the terrorists.

[stalin]

That is another reason not to drill it now. I agree.

[RayBob]

I know that there are those against ANWR drilling, on both sides of the isle, which is why I would prefer to see a seperate vote that would be recorded for posterity. Those who voted for independence from foriegn oil and those (on both sides) who voted against it.

Frankly, I think that there are some fence sitters that may not want to be on the record voting no. THAT'S why I wnat it.

So in this case, I have no problem with the 6 "RINOS" who want this in its own bill. Besides, once there's a record, there will (hopefully) be accountability. Back door tricks cost you that potential accountability.

[Kip Lange]

I don't think you quite got me, however...I'd never go far as say toss these folks so Congress got tipped, but they've done a heck of a lot to undermine and hold up work that needs to be done for their own self-interests. It gets aggravating.

--CWL

[Uncle Burt]

Just talked to Senator DeWine's office. As an Ohio Republican voter, wanted to know what he was thinking as he opposed the approval of drilling in the ANWR. His aide was suprised by the question (ten minutes ago). He said this was the first he had heard of it. Took my address...said a written letter would be sent this afternoon. Dewine is playing with fire on this issue in this State.

[Ann Archy]

Stalin...come on, you're a Freeper....you're SUPPOSED to be Intelligent!! Where did you EVER get the idea that the oil would last a MONTH from ANWR???? Geesh...not even an IDIOT would believe that!!!

You didn't come up from DU, did you??

[ApesForEvolution]

"In addition to McCain, the letter was signed by Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois and Mike DeWine of Ohio."

What's the difference between these RINOs and terrorists?

[Ann Archy]

Not only is it these limp-wristed Republicans but it's almost ALL of the DEMOCRATS...if not all...that's against us supplying or OWN oil!!

PLUS...it's the same people saying that this is a WAR FOR OIL who do't want us to drill for oil in our OWN COUNTRY!!! BEAM ME UP!!!

[Kip Lange]

Hrm, I didn't read his post on that. Why have I been bothering to respond to him at all? ;-)

--CWL

[BibChr]

Great minds and all that!

Fools seldom differ.