Drilling II

Senate Roll Call Vote 525

1995 Scorecard Vote

Pro-environment vote

No

Votes For

51

Votes Against

48

Located in northeast Alaska, the 19 million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is known as “America’s Serengeti,” due to the unique and unequaled wealth of wildlife in its arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems. Home to hundreds of animal species and millions of migratory birds, the refuge is the most significant polar bear denning habitat in the United States and the primary calving grounds for the 152,000-animal Porcupine caribou herd. The caribou herd provides primary livelihood, and for 10,000 years has been the cultural keystone, for the native Gwich’in people of Alaska and Canada.

Despite the fact that 90 percent of Alaska’s Arctic Ocean coastline is already open to development, oil companies and their allies in Congress have been attempting to open the Arctic Refuge’s 1.5 million-acre coastal plain for oil and gas development. Pro-development efforts have been defeated repeatedly, as recently as 1991.

Following passage of the Budget Resolution in May 1995, the Budget Reconciliation legislation, S. 1357, included a provision directing the Secretary of the Interior to lease the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil development to generate the estimated revenues. In addition, the measure would prohibit environmental impact analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act or other environmental laws and would relax federal standards governing oil field development activities.

On October 27, 1995, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) offered an amendment to strike Arctic drilling provisions from the bill. Budget Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) moved to table (kill) the Baucus amendment. The Domenici motion carried 51 – 48. NO is the pro-environment vote.

President Clinton vetoed the Budget Reconciliation Bill on December 6, 1995, and has threatened to veto any legislation that authorizes oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge.

Votes

Show
Show
Export data (CSV)
  • Pro-environment vote
  • Anti-environment Vote
  • Missed Vote
  • Excused
  • Not Applicable

Vote Key

Sort by
Alabama
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Alaska
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Arizona
2024 State Scorecard Average

56%

Arkansas
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

California
2024 State Scorecard Average

99%

Colorado
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Connecticut
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Delaware
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Florida
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Georgia
2024 State Scorecard Average

94%

Hawaii
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Idaho
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Illinois
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Indiana
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Iowa
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Kansas
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Kentucky
2024 State Scorecard Average

6%

Louisiana
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Maine
2024 State Scorecard Average

50%

Maryland
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Massachusetts
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Michigan
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Minnesota
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Mississippi
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Missouri
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Montana
2024 State Scorecard Average

29%

Nebraska
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Nevada
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

New Hampshire
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

New Jersey
2024 State Scorecard Average

88%

New Mexico
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

New York
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

North Carolina
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

North Dakota
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Ohio
2024 State Scorecard Average

25%

Oklahoma
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Oregon
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Pennsylvania
2024 State Scorecard Average

94%

Rhode Island
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

South Carolina
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

South Dakota
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Tennessee
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Texas
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Utah
2024 State Scorecard Average

2%

Vermont
2024 State Scorecard Average

94%

Virginia
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Washington
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

West Virginia
2024 State Scorecard Average

6%

Wisconsin
2024 State Scorecard Average

50%

Wyoming
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%