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House bill proposes permanent drilling protections |
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Two House members have introduced legislation that would keep the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge permanently off-limits to oil and gas drilling.
Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) are sponsors of the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act, which would designate the refuge's coastal plain as a wilderness area to ensure permanent protections.
"Our addiction to oil is real and enduring and still largely untreated. Drilling in the refuge would amount to a declaration that we remain in denial about this addiction, its impact on our planet and our obligation to future generations," Markey said in a prepared statement.
Longstanding efforts to allow drilling in the refuge's coastal plain -- which could contain over 10 billion barrels of oil -- are considered dead on arrival in the 110th Congress.
But winning permanent protections would also face an uphill climb in this Congress. In recent years ANWR drilling has had majority support in the House, including more than two dozen Democrats. Even if a protection measure could gain traction in the House this year, it would face a Senate filibuster that supporters lack the 60 votes to overcome.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 17 October 2007 )
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