Maria's Monday Memo

Maria's Monday Memo

Senator Maria Cantwell's Weekly Update for Washington State

Protecting One of America's Last Wild Places

Destroying a pristine national wildlife refuge is not the answer to our nation's energy problems. That's why I'm keeping up the fight against drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Last week, when the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a budget bill that would open up the Refuge to oil and gas extraction, I used the opportunity to highlight the proposal's countless flaws and the environmental destruction it would bring to America's last great wild frontier. Using the budget process to green-light irreversible damage to this natural treasure is underhanded and irresponsible. In our haste to feed our oil addiction, Congress is about to waive bedrock environmental safeguards and destroy irreplaceable federal lands for less than a year's supply of oil. According to a July 2005 Energy Department report, even if oil companies drill in the wildlife refuge and hit peak production in 2025, it will only lower gas prices by a penny per gallon. That's not very impressive when consumers in Washington state are already paying almost three dollars for a gallon of gas. Still, if drilling is going to happen, we must, at a minimum, make sure we keep out companies with a proven record of environmental abuse, and give taxpayers what they were promised out of the deal. In order to try and meet the budget's instructions, drilling proponents had to assume revenues were split between Alaska and the federal government on an even, 50-50 basis. However, the State of Alaska has long claimed 90 percent of the revenues generated from natural resource development on federal lands within its boundaries. While I opposed drilling, if we are going to manipulate the budget bill in this fashion, then at the very least we need to ensure that the Federal Treasury sees the $2.4 billion in revenues this measure is supposed to generate. For this reason, I introduced an amendment that would have prevented the State of Alaska from moving forward with leasing and drilling if it tried to sue for a share greater than 50 percent. While my amendment failed in Committee, I am committed to continuing the fight on the floor of the Senate. Drilling for oil in ANWR is a band-aid approach that will do nothing to provide consumers with reliable, sustainable relief from skyrocketing energy costs.
Fighting to Keep Families out of the Cold this Winter

Too many families eligible for federal home heating assistance in Washington state aren't getting any help. That's why it is imperative that we pass additional funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Families should not be forced to choose between heating, eating, and caring for their health, yet each winter, hundreds of families face this choice. With energy costs still on the rise, I joined a bipartisan group of Senators to push for an additional $3.1 billion in LIHEAP funds for 2006. Last year, the Washington state LIHEAP program received $41.6 million to help the state's poor handle their energy bills. With those funds, energy assistance went to 72,000 households—roughly a quarter of the state's eligible population. My amendment, narrowly defeated on the floor of the Senate, would have helped an additional 36,000 Washingtonians deal with rising energy costs this winter so that local LIHEAP providers would not have to struggle with the impossible choice of kicking people off the program or providing less help to current recipients. The federal government needs to follow through on its commitment to seniors, the disabled, and low income families during what is going to be a very cold winter. My amendment may be back up for consideration this week, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to pass this important piece of legislation.
Progress in the Fight for Tougher Sex Offender Laws

Last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bipartisan "Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act," clearing an important hurdle in the fight to strengthen the laws protecting children from sex offenders. As a strong supporter and cosponsor of this legislation, I recognize that Washington 's communities need real time and accurate information about sex offenders in our neighborhoods. This legislation is vital to giving families and local law enforcement the tools they need to keep our children safe. It would link state tracking systems and create a national sex offender database to prevent sex offenders from escaping notice through a move to another state. The bill would also put in place stronger, nationwide registration standards, and would make sure citizens always have access to accurate and up-to-date information about sex offenders in or near their community. Tougher punishments and closing the blatant gaps between Federal and State sex offender registration and notification programs are also critical parts of the legislation. If we're going to prevent future tragedies involving more innocent children, we need to stop sex offenders from exploiting the lack of coordination among various states and the federal government.

http://cantwell.senate.gov/updates/weekly_update.html