Hello.
Sorry to bother you but times are desperate for the Refuge and if we can all
send the information below to anyone we know in the U.S., plus other Canadians
so they can send it to their contacts in the U.S. too, we could really help.
Also, please take the time to send a new letter through www.beingcaribou.com
asking the PM to stand up to his strong statements to "pull out all the
stops to ensure the integrity of the calving grounds". The time may have
come for him to figure out what those stops will be, and start pulling.
Thanks for your help. We still believe that together we can stop this from
happening, and that it's only over when the last person who cares, gives up. So
please don't give up. We need your help.
Sincerely,
Being Caribou
Support Being Caribou with Bean Caribou!
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Arctic Drilling Proposal on Senate Floor
Drilling in the Arctic Refuge will be under debate today on the floor of the US
Senate (Wednesday, November 2) while the Senate is debating the overall Budget
Reconciliation bill. It is possible Arctic champion Senator Maria Cantwell
(D-WA) will again offer an amendment to remove the Arctic drilling provision
from the budget reconciliation bill. Debate is expected to go all day Wednesday
and most of the day Thursday.
Drilling in America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has no place in the
federal budget reconciliation bill. This proposal has nothing to do with
lowering gas prices. According the Government’s own Department of Energy,
drilling in the Refuge will lower gas prices by only a penny per gallon 20 years
from now. This proposal has nothing to do with reducing our dependence on
foreign oil. The Department of Energy estimates that even when the Arctic Refuge
is at peak production, our country will still be importing 66% - a whopping two
thirds of all of our oil. Drilling in America’s Arctic Refuge has nothing to
do with the budget – it is a backdoor effort to ram an unpopular proposal
through the Senate, sidestepping the usual process of open debate.
The American people have made it clear that they want the Arctic Refuge
protected. There are some places that are too special to ruin with oil drilling,
and America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of them.
WE NEED AMERICANS TO CALL THEIR SENATOR NOW!!
Please take a moment and call your Senator – tell them to please protect
America’s Arctic Refuge and vote against the budget reconciliation bill.
Every Senator is important,
but it is critical that the following swing Senators hear from all U.S.
residents: Snowe (R-ME) • Collins (R-ME) • McCain (R-AZ) • Smith (R-OR)
• Coleman (R-MN) • Dewine (R-OH) • Chafee (R-RI)
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Send
an email
If this bill passes the Senate, we will still have a chance to stop it in the
House, and indications are looking better all the time that the House will not
accept a budget with Arctic in it. But if we can stop it in the Senate, we don't
have to worry about the House - please call your Senator today!
If you're not already a member, join the
movement to protect Alaska's wild places!
erica heuer
publicist, being caribou
p. 867.393.4440
seven cassino street
whitehorse, yt
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Drilling in the Arctic NEWS NOVEMBER 2005
| Reconciliation
Act of 2005 Senate Passage of bill that provides for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge |
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On November 3, the Senate narrowly passed the budget Reconciliation Act of 2005 by a vote of 52-47. There were many reasons to vote against this bill, but the provision which allows drilling in America's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was a deciding factor for many Senators. Other provisions in the bill cut Medicaid, Medicare, and student loans. Although billed as a deficit reduction measure, when combined with the tax cuts that are also part of the reconciliation process, the end result is to actually increase the deficit. The House of Representatives will be voting on their version of the reconciliation bill as early as Wednesday, November 9. This battle is far from over and we are working hard to insure that the House does not allow drilling in the Arctic Refuge. To contact your representative about this upcoming vote click here. After the House acts, the differing versions of the reconciliation bill will go to a conference committee which will draft the final measure that will go back to both the House and Senate. Thus the Senate will be voting on this again. We need to thank our Senators who voted to protect the Arctic Refuge and express our profound disappointment with the ones who voted to despoil it. Most of all we need to let those Senators who support us that we support their stand - we will need their help again in the coming weeks and they need to know we are behind them 100%. Please take a moment and send an email to your Senator letting them know how you feel about their vote. |