Senate to Vote on Arctic Drilling Measure
A key part of the Bush administration’s national energy plan, opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, faces its first Senate vote today.
Senate Republicans are pushing a comprehensive energy bill that would give oil firms access to the refuge in an effort to boost domestic oil supplies and cut back on the U.S. addiction to foreign crude.
The House overwhelmingly approved a similar bill in August.
The legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where the Democratic leadership has prevented a simple up-or-down vote on the measure, because it would likely pass. Instead, Republicans have been forced to try to attach the energy bill as an amendment to an unrelated railroad retirement bill.
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