Oppose Arctic Drilling in Defense Appropriations Conference Report
12/20/05

U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator:

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is the political voice of the national environmental community. Each year, LCV publishes the National Environmental Scorecard, which details the voting records of Members of Congress on environmental legislation. The Scorecard is distributed to LCV members, concerned voters nationwide, and the press.

LCV urges you to use every means at your disposal to remove the insidious Arctic Refuge drilling provision that Senator Stevens inserted in the Defense Appropriations conference report.  More specifically, we urge you to vote for a point of order and against cloture to ensure that this shameful provision is removed from a bill that provides important funding for our national defense as well as hurricane relief.

Including this controversial provision in an unrelated defense bill that supports our troops is an unconscionable and cynical maneuver that must be stopped.  Senator Stevens himself has conceded that removing the drilling language would not jeopardize funding for the troops, as the bill would pass quickly without it.  As the Oregonian said this morning:  "A vote for the Arctic is not a vote against the nation's military." A vote to protect the Arctic on either a point of order or cloture "will have no effect -- none -- on U.S. troops in Iraq."

Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would threaten the subsistence culture of 7,000 Gwich'in people as well as the birthing grounds of the 130,000-member Porcupine caribou herd.  Furthermore, drilling in the Arctic Refuge would not solve our energy problems.  The United States has less than 3% of the world's proven oil reserves but consumes 25% of the world's oil, so we cannot drill our way to energy independence. Instead of destroying this pristine national treasure, Congress should pursue sensible solutions to our energy problems like increasing fuel economy and helping people weatherize their homes.

We urge you to protect the Arctic Refuge by voting for a point of order and against cloture to ensure that this eleventh hour provision is removed from the Defense Appropriations conference report.  LCV has scored and double-scored votes on the Arctic Refuge on numerous occasions in the last two decades.  The Political Advisory Committee will strongly consider including votes on this issue in compiling LCV's 2005 Scorecard.  If you need more information, please call Tiernan Sittenfeld in my office at (202) 785-8683.  

Sincerely,

Deb Callahan
President, LCV