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Effort to Attach Drilling to Defense Bill Meets Resistance in Senate

Posted on: Monday, 19 December 2005, 21:00 CST

WASHINGTON _ Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ran into furious Senate opposition Monday as lawmakers vowed to block a defense spending bill containing the federal authorization for oil and gas exploration in the Alaskan frontier.

The House approved the $453 billion measure early Monday, 308-106. The legislation would provide emergency funding for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a 3.1 percent military pay raise beginning Jan. 1.

But opponents of the Arctic drilling said they did not believe their actions would prevent federal dollars from flowing to the Defense Department, and pledged to keep lawmakers in town as long as it takes to prevail.

"This is a Christmas package designed for delivery to the oil industry," complained Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.

With the holiday looming, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate were engaged in a high-stakes game of chicken over both the Arctic drilling issue and the USA Patriot Act renewal. Senators were also expected to give approval to a defense authorization bill, which sets policy for the military, and a package of spending cuts worth $42 billion over five years.

Drilling in Alaska's wildlife refuge has been a subject of great controversy in Congress for more than two decades. Proponents say it is essential to give the nation energy independence and boost the Alaskan economy. Opponents say it would disrupt an environmentally pristine area of the world and harm wildlife for little long-term benefit.

Those opponents were particularly incensed that Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, insisted on tacking on the drilling issue to a defense bill during a back-room deal-making session with the House.

"I've done nothing illegal. I've done nothing immoral. I've done nothing wrong," said Stevens, visibly irritated by accusations that he had violated Senate rules.

Democrats came in for harsh criticism themselves for holding up the defense spending bill, which includes equipment for the troops as well as $29 billion for Hurricane Katrina relief, $3.8 billion to prepare for an avian flu pandemic and $2 billion to help low-income people pay their heating bills.

"This is a filibuster on national security, a filibuster on the well-being of American families and a filibuster on the safety of our troops," said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. "This is unacceptable for the American people, and I call on obstructionist Democrats to put politics aside and put the safety and security of all Americans first."

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who is leading the opposition to Arctic drilling, threatened to embarrass other lawmakers with a full discussion of the legislation.

"We have lots of time to examine what else is in this bill," warned Cantwell.

For example, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., inserted language into the defense spending bill that would provide immunity to vaccine manufacturers for pandemic and bio-defense products during a public health emergency, another issue that has been long debated and highly controversial on Capitol Hill.

"These provisions will ensure that we have the capacity to develop products to rapidly protect the American people from a bio-terror attack or flu pandemic," said Frist, noting that his plan would also compensate people who have an adverse reaction to medication taken during a public health emergency.

But critics said Frist was doing little more than helping his friends in the pharmaceutical industry.

"The provision is such a shameless handout to the drug industry that it was slipped into the bill in a back room in the Capitol, away from the eyes of the public and shielded from Senate debate," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. "It's an end run around normal congressional debate that piles one bad idea on top of another."

The most contentious debate, however, was on drilling in the Arctic, a key element of President Bush's energy policy. Signing it into law would be a huge domestic victory for him at a time when he has lost several recent battles in Congress. It would also give Republicans something to brag about during a period when citizens are facing steep energy costs as they heat their homes for winter.

Advocates of the program believe the wildlife refuge in Alaska provides America's greatest opportunity for petroleum exploration, potentially yielding an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of oil. The nation consumes about 20 million barrels on a daily basis.

Environmentalists, on the other hand, say drilling in one of the rare, unspoiled spots of the world would devastate the wildlife there, including herds of caribou, without providing a long-lasting source of petroleum.

"It would destroy a most magnificent piece of America," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.

___

(c) 2005, Chicago Tribune.

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Source: Chicago Tribune

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