Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 12:40:13 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Denise Ryan Subject: Arctic Victory - Thanks for your help MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" It is over, and it just happened. Nesting for Snow Geese, Eiders and Snowy Owls are protected. A press release from my organization. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media contacts: Scott Stoermer or Dan Vicuna at (202) 785-8683 SENATE REJECTS ARCTIC DRILLING, 54-46, IN MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL VICTORY Bipartisan majority upholds Kerry-Lieberman filibuster on most important environmental vote of the year WASHINGTON (April 18, 2002) - Today Republicans joined with Democrats to turn back the latest attempt to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. The win represents the environmental community's biggest political win in years as a majority of Senators opposed Arctic drilling under any condition or scenario, a major defeat for President Bush's oil and gas-focused energy plan. The Senate voted 54-46 to uphold a filibuster by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), well short of the 60 votes necessary to conclude debate on the amendment to give the president authority to allow drilling in the Arctic Refuge, an American natural treasure, for a mere six months of oil that wouldn't be available for a decade. "The Senate's overwhelming rejection of oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge sends a strong message to President Bush that Americans want clean energy and a clean environment," said Deb Callahan, president, League of Conservation Voters. "When faced with a choice between protecting our natural resources for the public good and giving in to the White House's call to exploit them for private gain, the Senate chose the public good. Once again, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, and Tom Daschle have proven that they are consistent, principled leaders in the fight to protect America's air, water, and open spaces." President Dwight Eisenhower established the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 1960, to protect "its unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values." Last year, President Bush made opening the Refuge to oil and gas drilling the centerpiece of his energy plan, despite clear evidence that drilling would destroy the Refuge's wildlife and not meaningfully increase our domestic energy supply. The House approved Arctic drilling as part of their version of a national energy policy last August but the measure met with stiff bipartisan opposition in the Senate, fostered by the most significant environmental grassroots lobbying campaign in a decade. Pro-drilling Senators desperately tried one new tactic after another, from arguing that drilling would strengthen our economy to drilling would bring peace to the Middle East, but they failed to sway a majority of Senators or the American public. The Senate also turned back, by a vote of 64-36, an attempt by Alaska Senator Ted Stevens (R) to link Arctic drilling revenues to benefits for steel workers. # # # The nonprofit League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is the political voice of the national environmental and conservation community. LCV, which is not a partisan organization, is the only national organization working full-time to hold Congress and the president accountable for their environmental actions. For more information, please visit us on the web at www.lcv.org. Denise Ryan Washington, D.C. ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================