Vote nears on drilling in refuge

[Judi Lynn]

Dec. 16, 2005, 11:16PM
Vote nears on drilling in refuge
Senate struggles over inclusion in defense bill


By DAVID IVANOVICH
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers are headed for a showdown this weekend over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, the leader of the effort to open a portion of the refuge to oil and natural gas exploration, has attached the controversial provision to a Defense Department spending bill that House and Senate negotiators are working on.

Since that legislation would not only include money for U.S. troops in Iraq but provide disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina victims and allocate funds to guard against avian flu, Stevens is betting drilling opponents would have a tough time voting against the bill.

But drilling foes plan to object to the provision's inclusion in the bill, arguing that drilling in the refuge is not germane to Defense Department spending. (Never mind that hurricane relief or avian flu are no more relevant. If nobody objects, they're germane).
(snip)

Staff members in the office of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., contend Stevens won't be able to muster the 51 votes to change the rules. If correct, that means the provision would be stripped from the bill, and the proposal to drill in the refuge would be back at the starting gate.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/3531057.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Coleman faces new test on Alaska drilling

Coleman faces new test on Alaska drilling
Plan will be hard to oppose attached to defense bill, the Minnesota Republican said.
Rob Hotakainen, Star Tribune
Last update: December 16, 2005 at 11:42 PM

WASHINGTON - Sen. Norm Coleman offered a movie metaphor on Friday for the plan to allow oil-drilling in the Alaskan wilderness: "It's like Freddie Krueger -- it never dies."

Coleman has voted against the plan a handful of times, but it is expected to return for its biggest test yet, attached to a defense-spending bill that the Minnesota Republican said will be difficult to oppose.

As Congress tries to wrap up its work for 2005, the bill is expected to include funding for U.S. troops, for low-income heating assistance, for protection against avian flu and for help to rebuild the Gulf Coast.

"The last train out of the station collects a lot of things," Coleman said. "The only thing not in this bill is motherhood and apple pie."
(snip)

As a Senate candidate in 2002, Coleman promised to oppose oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
(snip)

"It would be very difficult for any of us to vote against ," he said.
(snip/...)

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5787685.html

[1monster]

2. Just how many times are they going to bring up this issue? Or are they

just going to keep on keeping on with it until they get a vote that goes their way?