Wildlife

A stand-alone bill to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling passed the U.S. House Thursday on a vote of 225 to 201.

The Senate on Thursday approved a $2.8 trillion budget resolution that sets the stage for legislation authorizing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), but the prospects for the inclusion of ANWR in the House budget appear bleak.

Centrist House Republicans are seeking to reprise their successful strategy from last year to keep drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) out of the fiscal year 2007 budget resolution.

Plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and natural gas drilling went down in flames last Wednesday as Senate drilling proponents were unable to garner sufficient support to head off a threatened Democratic filibuster of a conference report on the $453 billion defense appropriations bill that called for refuge access for producers.

Plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and natural gas drilling went down in flames Wednesday as Senate proponents failed to override a filibuster of a conference report on the $453 billion defense appropriations bill that called for refuge access for producers.

The House early Monday overwhelmingly voted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and natural gas drilling as part of a major defense appropriations bill, but the measure faces significant opposition in the Senate from Democrats and moderate Republicans over ANWR.

This year appeared to be the best opportunity for Congress to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to energy development and expand leasing in protected offshore regions, but that chance may have gone down in flames late Wednesday.

The Senate last Thursday voted to open up the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and natural gas leasing as part of its $35 billion budget reconciliation package, with the measure surviving several challenges by Democrats. ANWR also advanced in the House last week, but its fate may be iffy as the budget package reaches the floor.

Oil and natural gas leasing on the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) remained in the Senate’s $39 billion budget reconciliation package late Thursday, surviving several challenges by Democrats throughout the day. Its approval was all but assured as the Senate moved to vote out the budget measure.