Alaska oil-drilling measure may return
Tuesday, November 15, 2005; Posted: 5:17 p.m. EST (22:17 GMT)
(AP) -- Legislation to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, apparently scuttled in the House last week, may resurface quickly, Republican leaders signaled Tuesday.
Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, the acting majority leader, told reporters there would be no attempt to reinsert the controversial provision in deficit-cutting legislation pending in the House.
But when asked about plans for a final House-Senate compromise measure, he sidestepped. "It's too early to worry about" the final bill, he said of a measure that is expected to be drafted in December.
Blunt made his remarks as he predicted the House would succeed in passing its version of the deficit-cutting bill by week's end.
In all, the measure would reduce projected deficits by roughly $50 billion over the next five years. It represents a significant part of the Republicans' year-end agenda.
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http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/15/congress.spending.ap/index.html