Senate Votes to Keep ANWR in the Budget

SENATE VOTES TO KEEP ANWR IN THE BUDGET

ANWR Will Remain In Senate Budget Resolution

Today, the United States Senate took the first step to winning the opening of 2,000 acres of the Arctic Coastal Plain for oil and gas development.

During debate on the FY 06 Budget Resolution, the Senate approved the inclusion of ANWR revenue in the Budget by a vote of, 51-49. The Senate voted not to adopt an amendment by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Kerry (D- MA) that would have stripped the FY 06 Budget Resolution of instructions to open ANWR.

At a press conference following the victory, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) told reporters that we have begun the process of fulfilling the commitment made to Alaska in 1980. "This has been a team effort and a bipartisan effort," Stevens noted referring to the pro-ANWR votes from Democratic Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka of Hawaii and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

"We've been after this now for 24 years," Stevens said. "We believe this is the greatest reservoir for oil and gas on the North American continent so it really must be explored and developed. The Senate has now moved towards keeping the promise it made to Alaskans in 1980."

"This is a victory for Alaska where we have the opportunity to provide so much for the country when it comes to our energy resources," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) "This is a victory for us as Americans as we talk about ways that we can move forward to provide for energy, economic and environmental security. In Alaska we have figured out how to produce fossilized fuels from our lands in a way that is in balance with the environment. What we have demonstrated today is that a majority in the U.S. Senate understands the importance of increasing our domestic [energy] reserves."

Before ANWR can be opened for oil and gas leasing, the Senate must approve the FY 06 Budget Resolution. A final vote is likely to occur on the Resolution by the end of the week. An additional Budget Reconciliation measure containing the ANWR language must then be approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and signed by the President.

During the press conference Stevens and Murkowski discussed the next steps toward final passage of ANWR and noted that the pressure to strike the language from the final reconciliation by ANWR opponents would be intense. "I don't know what's out there," Stevens said. "We're going to stick with this until we win. It's a long trail yet and we're going to be there all the way along until the President gets his reconciliation act.

Stevens concluded, "It's as important to me as the first step (Neil) Armstrong took when he stepped on the moon…We won the election and we promised we'd do this when we won that election and that's meaningful to me."

Murkowski during the final debate on the measure noted that there is an even chance that opening ANWR will provide the nation with 1 million barrels of oil a day.

"Some decried that ANWR won't produce much oil. That is enough fuel to run every car and home in Washington State for 68 years. It is enough to replace all of our imports from Saudi Arabia for 25 years. It is enough to double all the oil taken out of East Texas in the past 75 years. And it is enough oil to save America from writing a check for $56 million a day to OPEC or other foreign producers, every day at current prices.

"Of course ANWR is just one piece of our energy puzzle. We can't drill our way out of our energy problems, nor can we conserve our way out. We must do both. Still, opening a tiny portion of ANWR is the means to promote the three E's: our energy security, our economic security and our environmental security. This vote was a great first step toward promoting all three," said Sen. Murkowski.

http://murkowski.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=233730