[Mb-civic] Senator Pledges Fight in Energy Committee

[Michael Butler]

    Senator Pledges Fight in Energy Committee
    U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
    t r u t h o u t | Statement / Press Release

    Wednesday 16 March 2005

    Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today said the
fight to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling has only
begun. While the Senate today rejected on a 49-51 vote Cantwell's amendment
to the Senate budget resolution that would have stripped provisions paving
the way to Arctic drilling, the next battle will be fought in the Senate
Energy Committee.

    "The fight over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is far
from over," said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Energy Committee. "We
almost stopped this budget trickery on the floor today. But now that the
Energy Committee will consider this legislation, I'll be prepared to use
every tool at my disposal to stop drilling in the Arctic. We need a serious
national strategy to move us toward energy independence."

    "This will be a short-lived vote for those who want to drill in the
wildlife refuge," Cantwell added. "As this battle moves to the Energy
Committee, defenders of a sensible energy plan for the 21st Century will
live to fight another day."

    The Senate Budget Committee included in its version of the Fiscal Year
2006 budget resolution provisions that would pave the way to opening the
Arctic for oil drilling. As written, the budget directs the Senate Energy
Committee to come up with legislation by June 6 that would produce $2.7
billion in new federal revenue, including $2.5 billion from opening up the
Arctic Refuge's coastal plain to oil exploration and development. Special
rules that guide consideration of this "budget reconciliation" measure would
put drilling in the Artic on the fast-track to Senate approval. Last night
on the Senate floor, Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) said the
Committee would attempt to report the Arctic drilling measure in the next
four weeks.

    "Drilling in the Arctic is the wrong choice," Cantwell said. "But if
that's where we're headed in the Energy Committee, then we need to look
seriously at a number of issues. If we're going to destroy one of America's
last natural treasures for oil, shouldn't we require that that oil be sold
in the U.S. rather than exported? If we're going to sell off America's
future to the big oil companies, shouldn't' we make sure that our nation's
taxpayers get a fair share of the revenues? These are a few of the issues
we'll address in the Energy Committee," Cantwell said.

    Recent estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey suggest there are between
3.2 to 5 billion barrels of economically recoverable oil. The U.S. as a
whole was on track to use more than 7.4 billion barrels in 2004, or about
20.4 million barrels per day, according to the federal Energy Information
Administration (EIA). The EIA has also estimated that it would take seven to
10 years for oil from the Arctic to reach the market, meaning it would have
no effect on today's high gasoline prices.

    "We can't drill our way to energy independence in the Arctic," Cantwell
said. "Most Americans agree that drilling in a wildlife refuge - to secure a
six month supply of oil a decade from now-just isn't worth it. There are far
better options on the table that rely on American ingenuity, strategic
investment, and revitalizing existing sources of oil supply."

 

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