House GOP leaders to drop Arctic oil drilling proposal from Budget Bill

[jseankil]

Good News :) :) :)

www.msnbc.com

[NV Whino]

1. Hallelujah!

Since the dipshit senators couldn't do it.

[ochazuke]

3. there is balance in the universe my son

you see, the Senate won't tolerate the torture of man, while the house condones it.

now, the house decides not to torture a bit of nature, while the senate endorses it

[Tight_rope]

62. Amen!

[VegasWolf]

81. This is driving the retarded FReepers crazy.

:rofl:

[grannylib]

93. are there any other kind???

[NV Whino]

2. And welcome to DU!

:hi:

[cal04]

4. House Drops Arctic Drilling From Bill

House leaders late Wednesday abandoned an attempt to push through a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling, fearing it would jeopardize approval of a sweeping budget bill Thursday.

They also dropped from the budget document plans to allow states to authorize oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts -- regions currently under a drilling moratorium.

The actions were a stunning setback for those who have tried for years to open a coastal strip of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil development, and a victory for environmentalists who have lobbied hard against the drilling provisions. President Bush has made drilling in the Alaska refuge one of his top energy priorities.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Arctic-Refuge.html

[roguevalley]

27. watch for a ted stevens reaction to it. Uncle Satan will have an

aneurism. hopefully.

[Blue_Roses]

45. God, he's HORRIBLE!

He's nothing but a schoolyard bully! I can't stand him!

[janetle]

63. He's trying to get his revenge on Maria Cantwell

First of all, he treats her disrespectfully and then he does a --you mess with Alaska, I'll mess with Washington--type of retaliation move.

Since 1977, oil tankers have been limited in Puget sound because we are fairly pristine and we do not want an oil spill here. Stevens is now proposing to reverse this to get back at Cantwell--what a jerk.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/247800_bigoil10.html

[LookManLook]

5. DU Time Brothers

Looked like we signed up around the same time. Welcome!

[texpatriot2004]

9. Welcome to DU. nm

[calimary]

58. Welcome to DU-Welcome to DU, to you. LookManLook, and jseankil

Glad you're both here on the Good Guy Team!

Help us

Visualize IMPEACHMENT!!!!!!!!!
And then go DO something about it!

[NewJeffCT]

6. 3 CT Republicans were against it...

here in left of center CT, we have 3 Republicans worried about being tied too closely with Bush...

[texpatriot2004]

7. Hallelujah! Oh my. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. nm

[texpatriot2004]

8. Thank you for this FANTASTIC news and WELCOME to DU. nt

[Bleacher Creature]

10. This is why every election matters -- even off-years

Looks like a few moderate Repugs got the message yesterday.

[niallmac]

15. Wow. I wonder. Could the trouncing in this weeks polls have

sent a shiver up the spines of these otherwise heedless imperious twits?

[sendero]

34. Only the more intelligent..

.... and less delusional ones :)

[pazarus]

11. hooray! nominated

so it goes on the front page. we won this one.

[senseandsensibility]

12. Most excellent

Between this and the elections, I'm dazed.

[belle]

13. YES!

:woohoo: :bounce: :applause: :toast: :kick:

[DeepModem Mom]

14. To me, this is a very symbolic issue for our side. I rejoice...

at this news.

[Polemonium]

16. Good, but still the worst 5 years for the environment in memory

It is nice to see that some of the worst the GOP has to offer no longer appears to be getting an automatic green light. However, the Forest Service has never been headed up by a former timber lobbyist. The Department of Interior has never been lead by a corporate polluter protector. The tidal wave of report suppression, rule changes, and bullying by industry types within public departments is unprecedented.

It has been and will continue to be the worst years for the environment, regardless of what happens with ANWAR. We need to drive these points home.

90% of Americans like the National Parks, and the job the Park service does, yet NPS rules and protections are undergoing a continuous assault. How is it that Dem's remain relatively silent?

[AllyCat]

35. Or vote FOR the measure in the Senate??

Inouye, Akaka, and Landrieu (R-turncoat)

[gordontron]

90. here here

but still this is awesome. Just hope it passes the senate

:toast:

[K8-EEE]

17. Freepers Are Blowing Freaking Gasket

God, you'd think that drilling ANWAR would have like, solved the energy crisis or something, instead of being just another blatant Oil & Gas Welfare move.

This is funny! A lot of them claim to be abandoning the GOP but they're such idiots, all Rove has to do is boil them up about some damn thing (gay marriage?) and they'll be back as stupid as ever.
=========================================================

do not know the politics if any that go on with the mods but if what you say is true, we may as well call it a day for the GOP because until and unless they 'feel' the outrage and change their 'tactics' their chances are slim in '06 and beyond.

I have never dissed my party here or anywhere else for that matter. However, I am getting very near the end of my rope with the lack of courage and spinelessness being displayed.

We have taken a tremendous hit with the BS from the Bush haters that is endlessly perpetuated by the MSM and finally had a chance to rebound this week and what do they let happen? Something like this that causes us 'loyals' to feel betrayed.
158 posted on 11/09/2005 8:34:32 PM PST by blogblogginaway (..)
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 140 | View Replies >
To: sonsofliberty2000
Cowards, Sissy's, girlie boys, closet liberals.

(Please feel free to add to this list)
159 posted on 11/09/2005 8:35:44 PM PST by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal.")
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies >
To: sonsofliberty2000

GOP gutless wonders. So do we have to import more oil from the Middle East to appease Princes, Kings and dictators? I guess the Repubs just don't care about anything exept the next election. But when it comes to a $286 Billion Transportaton Bill the vote is easy. Both Repubs and dems just like to spend our money as if they owned it, but when it comes to promoting new domestic energy sources, ultimately the consumer gets the shaft.

Ironically, this is one of the few times where the House voted the other way compared to the Senate.

160 posted on 11/09/2005 8:37:23 PM PST by gpapa (Boost FR Traffic! Make FR your home page!)
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies >
To: Bogey78O
I guess they're determined to lose in 2006. Being spineless and populist is what makes a republican lose all the time.

A lot of Republicans just stay home on election day. If there's no real Republican to vote for, why bother? There could be a good movie on TV.
161 posted on 11/09/2005 8:38:38 PM PST by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal.")
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies >
To: Tree of Liberty
As far as I am concerned, as it currently stands, the Rep. party is the lesser of the two evils. As outraged and concerned as I am, I will not be one of those people that sits out the presidential election. Because pubbies did that years ago, we got Clinton in office.

I need to listen to Rush tomorrow; his optimism is direly needed in this household.
162 posted on 11/09/2005 8:38:47 PM PST by diamond6 (Everyone who is for abortion has already been born. Ronald Reagan)
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 101 | View Replies >
To: sonsofliberty2000

Just remember how important that REPUBLICANS get elected in 2006! Even when they are Democraps!

163 posted on 11/09/2005 8:41:03 PM PST by Bommer
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies >
To: Pukin Dog

Thanks. Looks like you are exactly right. This is in the latest update. Let's hope this issue finally gets resolved.


"The moderates knew they had leverage, given the narrow margin of GOP control of the House. It only takes 14 Republican defections to scuttle a bill, assuming every Democrat opposes it.

Still, removing the Arctic oil drilling provision could incite a backlash from lawmakers who strongly favor it, which is a big majority of Republicans. House and Senate GOP leaders are likely to push hard to get the ANWR proposal back into the bill in negotiations on a final document.

Marnie Funk, a spokeswoman for Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said that Domenici considers the ANWR provision, which the Senate approved, “one of the most critical components” in the budget package. “He is committed to coming back to the Senate from the conference with ANWR intact,” she said."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9984545/

164 posted on 11/09/2005 8:46:52 PM PST by blogblogginaway (..)
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 143 | View Replies >
To: concerned about politics
A lot of Republicans just stay home on election day. If there's no real Republican to vote for, why bother?

No .. what we need to do is get good candidates in the primaries and replace these rinos
165 posted on 11/09/2005 8:46:59 PM PST by Mo1
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 161 | View Replies >
To: sonsofliberty2000

Eunichs, one and all.

Time to make being a professional politician a capital crime.

[bunny planet]

19. Do these idiots know that drilling in Anwar will provide perhaps a total

of less than six months worth of oil at current consumption rates, and do they know it will take years to get any of it actually pumping, and that if and when pipelines are operational we will probably sell it to some other country closer to the pipeline rather than have it for consumers here at home.

Douchebags of liberty everyone.

[AllyCat]

37. Nah. The Senate included a last-minute rider that steers the oil

to American markets only. Of course, these "douchebags of liberty" you have so aptly named will probably find a way to do that too when China starts asking us to pay back our debt.

[ClintonTyree]

79. They'd end up exporting it to Japan anyway............

they'd get more money for it. Our "Red, White and Blue" Oil Companies, you know, the ones getting all of the tax breaks and are gouging Americans of every cent they can get, don't give a rat's ass about America's energy dependence. It's all about profits baby, if they can make more by screwing Americans into the ground they'll do it in a New York minute.

Freepers are fools. Nationalistic, pseudo-patriotic fools.

[AllyCat]

36. Correction:

"Both Repubs and dems just like to spend our money as if they owned it, but when it comes to promoting new domestic energy sources, ultimately the consumer gets the shaft."

Uh, that would be new domestic oil sources. A new domestic ENERGY source would involve alternative resources you fool.

[Chorophyll]

65. Wow!

The freepers are in a totally alternative universe! With Evil Spock and Good Cartman. Silly post, I know. It just amazes me that they describe the GOP as spineless and the MSM as Bush-haters. Wha?

[ClintonTyree]

78. Startling insight into the freeper thought process............

"I need to listen to Rush tomorrow; his optimism is direly needed in this household".

And there you have it! He'll let Rush do his thinking for him..... :eyes:

If these morans tried thinking for themselves once in a while maybe there wouldn't be such a great divide between Americans. Here's a little tip for you, freeps. TURN OFF THE RADIO! Think about the nation's problems with your own pathetic little brains for once, you might be amazed to find it still works without any outside interference.

Listening to a drug addict it not the best way to formulate a coherent opinion.

[wiley]

18. It's a big step for America

and a giant cop out for responsibility to the rest of the world that is suffering from the global warming and environmental disasters they have caused. Will we go to war over the fight for rights to drill for oil in the rapidly meltic Antartic?

[eyepaddle]

69. Just as an aside

(Because I'm thrilled that we stopped them on ANWR) :woohoo:

I don't think we need to worry about drilling in Anatarctica any time soon As of right now it is beyond technical ability to drill into rock after what could be 10000 feet of moving icecap. (Your wellhead would get sheared off almost instantly PLUS the impracticality of laying a pipeline which will be buried within week (and is also moving) PLUS the fact that for more than two-thirds of the year the surrounding seas are frozen--at a peak more than a thousand miles out from the coast)

I have spent some time on oilrigs, and a bit in the Antarctic, and at this point I just don't think it's even possible to get oil from the Ice.

I know the US and others have looked for it, and if they could figure outto produce it, they would probably try to convince us it was groovy, but I think that's one thing we don't need to worry about today.

The battle is far from over, in fact right now we are losing the war, but this is nonetheless, a victory!

[gulfcoastliberal]

20. What a relief!

Why ruin one last unspoiled wilderness for an oil deposit that would not cut dependence on foreign imports one bit or lower energy costs.. The Gulf of Mexico is in severe trouble from all the pollution produced by the drill and gas rigs and undersea pipelines heading into Houston and the rapidly dissapearing LA delta, exarebating the erosion via saltwater intrusion that rapidly erodes land and widens the canals into lakes and submerged shoreline. Katrina caused an enormous oil spill about as bad as the Valdez but didn't get too much attention.. Alaska is the USAs final frontier and is already undergoing significant climate change. Why speed up its destruction, all in the name of burning up an extra hydrocarbon deposits? We need to start the mission for alternate transportation and fuels. We need the oil more for pharmaceuticals, food production, and plastics than exploding it in our car engines.

[Carla in Ca]

21. Ah...another day, another set back

for the loser-in-chief.

[The Judged]

22. Now, why would these crooks suddenly stop acting like bullies??????

Let me ask my friend Rico about this sudden peculiarity from the Republicans.

[IndianaGreen]

23. Bush's poll numbers are down, and the rats are deserting the ship

Whatever the reason, having Democrats like Reid and Pelosi pound the GOP on a daily basis is having its effect.

There is blood in the water and the sharks are circling...

[The_Casual_Observer]

24. This was one of jr's biggest goals.

I hope he is drinking again.

[drm604]

32. This and Social Security

and he's lost both. :bounce:

[ClintonTyree]

83. But the tax cuts keep on a rolling........

and sinking our economy deeper and deeper into the abysmal pit of deficits.
Oh, that's right! In the "tickle down" economy deficits don't matter! I forgot about that. Never mind! :eyes:

[BigBearJohn]

25. HOOOOOORAY!!!!! I am sooooooooooooooooooo Happy!

[Rainscents]

26. THIS IS GREAT NEWS!!!

Thanks for posting this!!! :bounce:

I been donating money to wildlife refuge's and they have been working so hard on this.

[Ladyinblack]

28. Success is great!

Thanks for the news. Perhaps the tide has really turned.

[leftchick]

29. House Drops Arctic Drilling From Bill : Yahoo...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051110/ap_on_go_co/arctic_refuge


<snip>

A plan to allow states to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts was also axed.

Still, passage of the broader plan cutting $54 billion from federal benefit programs through the end of the decade remains a challenge, even after the provision permitting oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was dropped.

The Senate has included ANWR drilling in its budget bill and GOP leaders are likely to push hard for the final House-Senate version of the bill to include it.

Many of the same moderates opposed to the drilling plan remain opposed to the bill's provisions curbing Medicaid's growth, tightening eligibility for food stamps and cutting student loan subsidies.

:woohoo:

[DaveColorado]

30. Don't bust out the champaign just yet

There is still a provision included that could sell off national parks:


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-unprotect10nov10,0,6261945.story?coll=la-home-nation



They also jettisoned a provision to relax a long-standing ban on new energy exploration off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. However, they apparently left in the budget package a mining law provision that would permit the sale of public lands in the West for private development.

A rewrite of the Mining Law of 1872, it has drawn less attention than the Arctic drilling provision but could have a farther-reaching effect on public lands. Drafted by the House Resources Committee, the measure would allow the sale of potentially millions of federal acres, including national park and forest holdings.

Such a law could mean "the biggest privatization of federal land in the last 100 years," said John Leshy, who was the Interior Department's top lawyer in the 1990s and is now a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law. "Nothing like this has ever surfaced before."

The proposal would lift an 11-year-old congressional moratorium on mining patents, letting mining companies buy federal land with valuable mineral deposits for nominal fees. It would also make it easier to purchase federal land for nonmining uses, dropping the requirement that the acreage contain a valuable mineral discovery. And it would let the public stake new claims next to existing mining claims and buy that adjacent land for economic development unrelated to mining.



I also just wanted to point out how rediculous drilling ANWar is:


Drilling supporters estimate that 10 billion barrels of oil lie beneath the refuge's tundra. The United States consumes about 20 million barrels of oil a day. Drilling opponents contend that opening the area to oil exploration would endanger wildlife and spoil a unique environment while doing little to bring down gasoline prices, because it would be years before any oil discovered could reach the marketplace.




Not to mention the fact that they are cutting food stamps and student loans.

Pombo is the dude who has introduced most of the odious anti environment amendments such as drilling off California and selling off national parks.

Contact him here:

http://www.house.gov/pombo/contact/commentsform.htm

Let's vote this crook out in 06!

[ecdab]

70. I had been told by a friend to expect

for this provision to be dropped from the house bill but to watch the joint Senate / House meeting on the over all bill before I got too happy. He seems to believe the provision will be reinserted at that time and that it's removal was just to give some members that want to pretend to be moderates a bit of political cover. You know - "Well I didn't vote for it" type BS.

[ClintonTyree]

84. A very plausible assessment........

they'll tack it on to another bill later that will have little or no residual after-effect.
It'll be like McCain's bill to ban torture. They'll attach it to every bill voted upon until it passes. This is just a temporary stay of execution for ANWR, not a total pardon.

[Lena inRI]

31. A STUNNER!

I had to read this twice to believe my eyes!

Thank God and all wonderful spirits on high. . .we're finally starting to get our government back. . .for our kids' sakes!

:grouphug:

[AllyCat]

33. I'm speechless. I figured it passed the Senate, it was a done deal

This is great news! :wow:

[southpaw]

38. YYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Seedersandleechers]

40. Alaska is already feeling the effects of global warming.

Let's not rape one of the most beautiful states we have. Thank you senators...

[AllyCat]

47. Careful...it was the Senators who sold it up the river

This is the Representatives who made this happen. I'd love to see how the vote went.

[geekgrrl]

39. FINALLY we have some GOOD NEWS- may it be a new period for us!! nt

[William769]

41. Welcome to DU jseankil

This is good news indeed.

[azndndude]

42. DU this poll on ANWR

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7065544/

[tabasco]

43. The way they worded the poll is disgusting!

"a small area" - nothing but corporate propaganda. The entire refuge would be ruined with pipelines, roads, and pollution.

[Carolab]

80. It's NOT a small area when you see it on a map, either. n/t

[rosesaylavee]

75. Done - maybe do a separate post on this

so more DUers see it? (sorry if you have already - I just got on for my lunchhour)

Should Congress authorize drilling in a small area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? * 67774 responses


Yes, America needs all the domestic oil it can get and today's technology makes it safe
45%

No, the refuge is unique and worth protecting; besides conserving energy makes more sense
54%

Can't decide
1%

[Stockholm]

44. Good news!

Stopped those evil bastards from raping the Arctic

[JudyM]

46. LINKS to thank or keep the pressure on your congressional reps

The public won out, let's make sure it sticks!

Letter to your reps:
http://www.nrdc.org/action /

- Phone number for calling members of congress and link for another letter to Congress (Sierra Club):
http://www.sierraclub.org/arctic

[RaleighNCDUer]

48. I'd like to think they came to their senses, but more likely they

got a quiet word from the oil companies that the thawing of the tundra has screwed up their engineereing and they said to let it go for now until they've worked out some new engineering contingencies.

We will be fighting this again, and sooner than later.

[jayfish]

49. Picture From The Article And A Question For The Media.

A herd of musk ox graze in an area of the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge in Alaska, known as Area 1002, in this undated file photo.
Should Congress approve drilling in the refuge, it would be within
this area along the coastal plain.

And now my question for the media: When Republican after Republican poo-pood the idea that drilling in ANWAR was no big deal because it was a " barren wasteland", why were they not challenged? Why were they given a pass each and every time? Your job is not to provide for both sides of the story. It's to report facts. Start doing your job

SEN. TED STEVENS: "The porcupine caribou herd uses the coastal plain for only six to eight weeks. This is what it looks like in the summertime. With one well drilled, there's a six-foot pipe sticking up, the rest of it is just constant, constant, constant tundra, no trees, no beauty at all."

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Jay

[IndyOp]

77. Thank you for this gorgeous pic - I have a new desktop picture! (nt)

[Jon8503]

50. So Very Great To See Some Intelligence -- Ye Ha, I feel great on this

Go to CNN and vote on the question of Should drilling be allowed in the Artic. I can't believe there is 41% that say yes.

Here is the link:

http://www.cnn.com/

[wryter2000]

51. OMG

I'm not sure my heart can take any more. :evilgrin: I really feel we've turned the corner. If we slide back into the depths of Repukism now, I truly will be in a deep funk.

[Jon8503]

57. Has anybody checked on our little friends "The Freepers" yet, I

hope they are handling all of these great things ok.

[wryter2000]

60. Oh, my, yes

I am so worried that they're having a hard time dealing with this. After all, I'm the one who wanted to give the terrorists therapy after 9/11. :sarcasm:

[DemExpat]

52. What a joyous surprise! I had resigned myself to it

after the Senate passed it.....so this is terrific news!

:bounce: :bounce:

DemEx

[schmuls]

53. YYYEEESSS!!!!!

[InvisibleTouch]

54. So happy to hear this!

Now this is the way I like to start my day!

The Refuge isn't totally safe yet, because you know the rethugs are going to keep trying to chip away at this, but it's definitely given us some breathing room. Nice to see the House came through where the Senate failed - and I do think this week's election results were a factor. The wind is suddenly blowing from another direction - and politicians are more attuned to it than most.

[katinmn]

55. Coleman constiuent letter on why he voted against the drilling

I see Coleman taking a distance from Bushco here. It's subtle, but usually he is in lockstep. Let's see what happens in the conference committee.

Dear katinmn:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me concerning the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

When I ran for the Senate in 2002, I promised to oppose drilling in ANWR and I have kept that promise. Drilling in ANWR is a distraction from finding a real solution to America 's energy needs. We need to reduce America 's dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce energy costs. There is great uncertainty about whether drilling in ANWR will accomplish this goal.

That is why I voted in favor of the Cantwell amendment to strip provisions permitting the drilling of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from the Senate reconciliation bill. Unfortunately, this amendment failed on a vote of 51-48, and drilling in ANWR remained in the Senate bill.

While I supported many of the provisions in the reconciliation package such as extending the MILC safety net for dairy farmers and prohibiting cuts to the Food Stamp program, I continued to have concerns about drilling in ANWR. Ultimately, after weighing a considerable number of provisions included in this bill, I did not believe it was in the best interest of Minnesota to support it. I voted against the Senate reconciliation bill on November 3, 2005.

The bill, which was approved by a vote of 52-47, will now head to a joint House-Senate conference committee where it will be finalized for approval.

I will keep your views in mind when the final conference report comes before the Senate for a vote.

I am humbled to serve as your Senator and hope you will not hesitate to contact me on any issue of concern to you or your family.

Sincerely,
Norm Coleman
United States Senate

[Deep13]

56. Wow, a great week!

Harry-wan-kenobi kicked ass on treasongate, Ah-nold got his NAZI ass kicked, Ds held on to VA and NJ and now this.

Ted Stevens had us all screwed, oo-oo-oo.
Big oil told him what to doo-oo.
Bush's ratings had a correction,
in the other direction.
Dems started shouting in-ter-jec-tions!
Shit! You guys are really gouging people.
Damn! You'd sell your mother for a buck!
Fuck no! You can't drill in the Arctic!

[emrenz]

59. The oil lobby will not be happy...

as this is worth BIG BUCK$ to them. It will take 8-10 years to actually produce oil from ANWR and it is only estimated to be an amount equal to what the US might use in 6-20 months. This tells you how much profit there is in a mere 6 MONTHS supply of oil to the big oil companies that they're willing to work 10 years to get it out of the ground.

[melissinha]

61. Santa Claus must be very happy!

His little reindeer friends are safe for the time being...


Seriously now, I am so happy about this. On behalf of the untouched wildlife and the ecosystem of Alaska, this is a huge victory.

[BrklynLiberal]

64. Thanks to 12 moderate Republicans...but the Senate is still a problem.

Stevens and Domenici said they will not pass a budget bill without the ANWR drilling clause.

Didn't I read when this was first proposed that this oil won't even come to the US, but to Asia? This is just another ploy to make money for the oil companies.

These guys are sooooooooooo evil.

[AllyCat]

67. Ron Wyden added a rider or amendment the day the Senate voted

that will only allow the oil to be sold in the US. Until China comes looking for payback on that debt.

6-20 month supply...someone else posted this just showed how much that amount of oil was worth to them. But I feel there are still the people who will make a mint of building the infrastructure to put it in place, whether they get the oil or not.

That means that in the end, someone will get stuck holding the bill for all that work and little oil to pay the bills. But then, that's how G-Dub always did business in TX anyway. Maybe he can pay it?

[hippiegranny]

66. this is HUGH111

but seriously - things are really falling our way these days, aren't they?

[kwolf68]

68. Well Well ...We are holding on

I have to give major kudos to the moderate Republicans on this one. We can’t count on complete Democratic unity all the time and it’s great the Northeastern Republicans have taken such a principled stand.

If we can hold this thing off until next year then it will be a MAJOR victory and I suggest the war for the Arctic will have been won by the good guys.

Thing about it. They can’t even pass this shit with oil cronies in the White House, a 10 seat Senate majority and a majority in the House. Their party is a right-wing Party, but there are still enough quality moderates who will gum up the process.

Coleman, for the stuffed suit he is, held to his campaign promise to oppose oil exploration there. Again, he deserves credit.

Now we have to hold these cretins off for ONE MORE year and try to wrestle one house of congress back from these plunderers, or at least close the gap. If we can work toward a majority and get a quality President we can then try to turn this place into a National Wilderness area, protected forever.

Of course, we may win the day, but some day along in say 2018 some Rethug will think it necessary to punch holes in the land, fell forests, pollute rivers, destroy ozone, and enrich the oil companies all for “energy security” and this fight will begin again unless we have a REAL energy policy that addresses conservation, renewable, clean energy, and regulations to spur consumption that is sustainable.

But that would take a left-wing commie/pinko/socialist to come up with THAT kind of crazy shit and this entire nation will probably take he combustible engine to its grave. But, today is one of the good days.

[Strawman]

71. Hold on...it could come back in the final bill during conference

These vulnerable Republicans can act like they opposed it on the basis of their actions here, the House leadership won't include any of them in the conference delegation and this will get probably get rammed through.

Maybe there is enough opposition to this to hold up the final budget bill. I hope so, but I don't know how likely that is, and this doesn't really mean anything other than that some vulnerable Repubs are covering their political asses. How many of them will opt to not vote and how many will vote no on the budget bill if this is included in the final bill created during the conference? That's what matters. This is far from over.

[confludemocrat]

87. So ANWR drilling can be put back in even if it's not in the House version?

and thus this vote is potentially only providing coverage for "moderate" repubs? Oh shit! So Coleman and others like him need to be watched on how they vote on the conference report. Didn't Coleman earlier vote in a pro-ANWR way, some procedural thing that helped the ANWR drilling along as much as the actual vote on the provision?

[Strawman]

92. Not sure about Coleman, but this aint over

and there may be different rules for budget bills in conference (I'm not aware of conference specific rules, but budget bills have other unique rules designed to smooth their navigation through Congress), but the Republican leadership has alot of leeway to change bills in conference. And a history of doing so. The same gang that brought us the nuclear option has no respect for fair play in Congress. The specific example escapes me, but there was a bill last year or a couple years ago where Frist called up the Democratic version of a bill for a vote just to get something into conference, the Republicans went along and passed it and then they completely changed it in conference where there were no Democrats in the delegation.

Wait until the big money interests start applying pressure and cutting deals with these people or working on getting them not to vote or flip. These Republicans are going to have to really stand up to resist this.

I'm skeptical, I just think this is cover so that when these guys are getting attacked on this and on their environmental record they can say they opposed it in the 2006 campaign. Hopefully if the pressure is kept up the leadership will pull it, but the folks who own these people have too big of a hard on for it and it's too easy to pass inside the budget bill (that it has no business being in).

[rosesaylavee]

72. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is HUGH! I had given up on this and was pretty depressed when it passed the Senate by such a close vote.

Made my week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:

[Cugel the Clever]

73. I'm suspicious..

This looks like a distraction to me. I've never really understood why the R's were so hot to drill holes in Alaska anyway- the oil is hard to get, transport, and of all too finite potential- but hey, they've got their reasons, right?

Now the House(!) R's have "given up" on ANWAR? That smells like dead fish rotting in the sun to me. They obviously, desperately want this Budget Bill to pass- what kind of bald theft is in that damn Bill?

ANWAR is being used like a firecracker that goes off right before a pickpocket lifts your wallet.

[SomewhereOutThere424]

74. excellent news!

The oil companies were due for some karma after hurricane katrina price gouging.

[ProSense]

76. This is one of the highlights of my day. n/t

[wordpix]

82. good news but note Dominici appears to be "invested" in ANWR drilling

Wonder who Dominici's campaign contributors are? ANyone have the goods? I wouldn't doubt he gets funding from Big Oil.

Marnie Funk, a spokeswoman for Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said that Domenici considers the ANWR provision, which the Senate approved, “one of the most critical components” in the budget package. “He is committed to coming back to the Senate from the conference with ANWR intact,” she said.

[Robeysays]

85. !

[KansDem]

86. PARTY!!!

:party::party::toast::beer::toast::beer::toast::party::party:

Damn, this feels good! :D

[darkmaestro019]

88. two images:

1) A wolf the color of a deadfall, running through clean snow.

2) Bush holding both hands to the sky and doing the "NOOO!"


(smiles)


Guess it's not a good day to be a bad guy, huh, moron?

[Borgnine]

89. A good week for Democrats gets even better.

And I can finally breathe a sigh of relief for those animals. Take it easy, little guys. The drinks are on me.

[oneold1-4u]

91. Never let go

We have so little left of our still natural world!
The OR highways are once again loading out timber as fast as they can and there are so few mills left operating, that it is giving nothing to the economy! We truly can not afford 3 more years of this, because they will still go on with what they have done to rape this country.