GOP Congressmen Going Squishy on ANWR

In an age where oil prices have soared to record levels above $60 a barrel, you'd think the Congress of the United States would be interested in doing something to mitigate the effect of such prices, like for instance drilling for more oil. The stage is set to open the Alaskan fields (known as ANWR), but some GOP members have suddenly gone squishy and apparently would rather allow this debate to be filibustered in the Senate:

Two dozen House Republicans, including three committee chairmen, have asked Speaker Dennis Hastert not to use a congressional budget procedure to clear the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

They said in a letter to Hastert, R-Ill., that the budget process "is an inappropriate venue to be debating this important environmental issue" and warned that it would further complicate already difficult budget issues.

"We believe the debate on opening this unique land to oil and gas exploration should be done outside the budget process," said the group led by Rep. Jeb Bradley, R-N.H., in an Aug. 4 letter made public Wednesday.

Among those signing the letter were three committee chairmen: Science Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y.; Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Government Reform Chairman Thomas Davis, R-Va.

The letter also was sent to Budget Committee Chairman James Nussle, R-Iowa, and Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif. Pombo strongly supports opening the 1.5 million acre coastal plain of the Alaska refuge to oil development.

A Pombo spokeswoman said he had not yet decided whether to include a provision authorizing oil lease sales in the Alaska refuge in a so-called budget "reconciliation" document. Under congressional rules, drilling could be authorized if the Resource Committee decides to rely on an expected $2.4 billion from potential oil lease sales in the refuge to meet budget targets.

The House has repeatedly approved ANWR drilling in recent years only to have the matter die in the Senate where opponents have used filibusters to block the legislation. The budget reconciliation document, which has the force of law if approved and signed by President Bush, is not subject to filibuster.

ANWR drilling supporters failed to get an ANWR provision into the recently enacted energy bill. They were assured the issue would be taken up again as part of the budget process next month.

Most Democrats oppose developing the estimated 5 billion to 10 billion barrels of oil believed to lie beneath the refuge's coastal plain because they contend drilling would harm the wildlife there. If they gain the support of a significant number of Republicans, it could turn the tide against drilling when the issue comes up as part of the budget process next month.

While raising concerns, the 24 GOP lawmakers who signed the letter did not all say they would vote against the budget if an ANWR provision were included.

Just what do these environmental geniuses propose to do? If ANWR is not passed in this budget resolution and instead is proposed in some new energy bill, it won't have a chance of passing (thanks to Senate Dems) and we will give up yet another opportunity to do something to promote our own energy independence. ANWR won't make the US independent by any means, but any supplies that we can provide ourselves are supplies we don't have to buy from countries who could decide at any time to quit selling to us.

I don't know what it is about some GOP members who are so desperate to be loved that they insist on handing the Dems the weapons AND ammunition with which to shoot them. This letter will give every Dem opposed to ANWR a ready made excuse to claim that there is 'bipartisan' opposition to ANWR.

Hastert has to stay tough. I would love to see him send a letter back to these nitwits thanking them for their concern, but informing them that ANWR stays in the budget package, period. If there was ever a time to get this passed, it's now. Dems and their envirowacko allies will have a very difficult time demonizing the GOP over this issue when gas at the local pump is $2.73 a gallon (that's what it is at the station by my house).

You think we have a war for oil now? Just wait until the next embargo.