Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) announced they were introducing legislation Wednesday to keep the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) closed to oil and natural gas drilling.

The so-called Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act of 2005 is bipartisan legislation, with Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) the lead co-sponsor in the House of Representatives and Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) the lead co-sponsor in the Senate. “We expect to have well over 100 co-sponsors joining us on the…bill today,” said Markey.

The measure is named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who in 1960 set aside the core of ANWR, and former Rep. Morris Udall (D-CO), who in 1980 led Congress in doubling the size of the Arctic refuge.

“If Congress authorizes drilling in the refuge, it will scar an untouched landscape, evict wildlife from its traditional habitats, turn tundra potholes for ducks into catch basins for drilling wastes, and provide a precedent to invade every other wildlife refuge in the United States,” argued Markey, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), chairman of the House Resources Committee, last week urged House lawmakers not to support the Markey measure, saying it “would lock away the energy rich lands of the 1002 [coastal plain] area that Congress set aside in 1980 for the purpose of energy development.” Pombo’s committee has tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday a markup of the energy bill issues over which it has jurisdiction, including ANWR.

While Pombo is a strong supporter of energy development in the coastal plain of ANWR, Markey counters that the refuge is a “national treasure” that should remain untouched. “It does not belong to oil companies. It does not belong to a political party. It does not belong to one state. It belongs to the public, to be managed for the enjoyment of future generations,” he said.

“We do not dam Yosemite Valley for hydropower. We do not strip mine Yellowstone for coal. And we should not drill for oil and gas in the Arctic refuge.”

The debate over ANWR promises to be a heated one in the new Congress. Given the clear Republican majority in both houses, many observers believe that this may be the year that Congress finally opens ANWR to energy development.

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