[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 22]
[Senate]
[Page 30502]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  ANWR

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise to register, in the strongest 
possible terms, my objection to the inclusion of provisions authorizing 
oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve in the 
Department of Defense Appropriations conference report.
  I find it outrageous--and unacceptable--that after failing in their 
budget reconciliation ploy to open the Arctic wilderness to oil 
drilling, drilling proponents would now try to tamper with the Defense 
spending bill at a time when we have troops in combat in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is bad 
policy and dragging this controversy into the Senate's conscientious 
efforts to ensure that our military effort is adequately funded at a 
time of war does not do right by our fighting men and women. It is 
equally outrageous that drilling proponents are attempting to exploit 
the Katrina-relief package included in the bill. Congress has an 
obligation to care for the victims of that devastating natural disaster 
and our fellow citizens deserve better than to have congressional 
efforts to provide for their needs undercut by such a desperate 
procedural scheme.

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