To support this site, please make your purchases through my Amazon link.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Wildlife Spoiled?
Say it ain't so!
Assuming Congress agrees on a budget... quite an assumption, indeed! Congressional Republicans are becoming increasingly concerned that there is no chance for the two Houses to reconcile the budget. Effectively, this would make the budget dead. Consequently, any deal on spoiling ANWR would also be dead (the Republicans' 51 votes are enough to pass an amendment to a budget bill but are far short of the 60 are needed in a regular bill). The wildlife reserve might live another day.
Amid the backdrop of soaring oil and gasoline prices, a sharply divided Senate on Wednesday voted to open the ecologically rich Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, delivering a major energy policy win for President Bush.Link.
The Senate, by a 51-49 vote, rejected an attempt by Democrats and GOP moderates to remove a refuge drilling provision from next year's budget, preventing opponents from using a filibuster — a tactic that has blocked repeated past attempts to open the Alaska refuge to oil companies.
The action, assuming Congress agrees on a budget, clears the way for approving drilling in the refuge later this year, drilling supporters said. [emphasis added]
Assuming Congress agrees on a budget... quite an assumption, indeed! Congressional Republicans are becoming increasingly concerned that there is no chance for the two Houses to reconcile the budget. Effectively, this would make the budget dead. Consequently, any deal on spoiling ANWR would also be dead (the Republicans' 51 votes are enough to pass an amendment to a budget bill but are far short of the 60 are needed in a regular bill). The wildlife reserve might live another day.
To support this site, please make your DVD, music, book and electronics purchases through my Amazon link.
