[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23376]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     ARCTIC REFUGE PROVISIONS IN BUDGET RECONCILIATION LEGISLATION

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, last month people from across the 
country converged on Washington to send a clear message to Congress in 
opposition to drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 
Sadly, yesterday's action by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee 
flies in the face of that grassroots movement. And on top of this, the 
committee failed to accept commonsense amendments that would have 
required that drilling in the Arctic follow the same rules as drilling 
in all other wildlife refuges, insisted that oil taken from the refuge 
stay in the hands of Americans, and guaranteed what Senators have been 
told all along--that 50 percent of the revenues from leases would go to 
the Federal Treasury, despite public suggestions by Members of the 
Alaska delegation that the State would sue to get 90 percent of all 
revenues.
  There is no doubt that as a nation, we face tough questions about our 
energy policy. Sacrificing one of America's greatest natural treasures, 
however, to access a supply of oil that may not last more than a year, 
wouldn't be available for many years to come, and would decrease gas 
prices by only a penny at its highest production, is simply not the 
answer. A responsible, well-thought-out national energy policy that 
moves us away from our dependence on a finite resource such as oil is 
the answer, and I regret that we don't have such a policy. To support 
our energy needs, care for our citizens, encourage a vibrant economy, 
and meet our stewardship responsibilities to future generations, we 
must take a variety of steps, including investing in American 
ingenuity, advancing our commitment to conservation, and increasing our 
use of renewable sources of fuel.
  As we now move from the committee's reconciliation recommendation to 
floor debate of the larger budget reconciliation package, I will work 
to make sure that we do not discard the legacy of protecting the Arctic 
Refuge that dates back to President Eisenhower in 1960.

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