Arctic drilling removal not quite a done deal, budget recon pulled

[Great Lakes Organizer Gal]

seems like the media reports are jumping the gun a little...the
amendment in the rules committee to remove Arctic drilling has not
passed yet, and the budget recon bill was pulled on Thursday.
therefore, we need to keep the phone calls coming in next week; and to
both Dems and the Repubs supporting our side, ask them to please remain
in DC up and until the House floor is closed for Thanksgiving break.
The last thing we need is for the drilling proponents to get sneaky and
bring the bill to the floor right after drilling/budget opponents have
gone home for the holiday!!!!

GOP Leadership Agrees to Remove Arctic Drilling Provision from the
Budget

At the time of this writing, the House has not yet moved on the
agreement to
remove the drilling provision, so it isn't quite over yet. On
Wednesday
night, Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IA) offered an amendment
in
the House Rules Committee that would remove from the Budget
Reconciliation
bill the provision for drilling in America's Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. "ANWR and OCS will be out" of the legislation, said Chairman
Jim
Nussle. A bloc of moderate Republicans had threatened to defeat the
Budget
Reconciliation bill if the drilling provision was not removed. The
amendment offered by Nussle has not yet been voted on, as the GOP
leadership
doesn't yet have the votes to pass the reconciliation bill even if the
contentious drilling provision is removed. GOP leaders pulled the bill
on
Thursday to let members go home for the Veterans Day Recess while they
attempted to find a deal to save the rest of the Budget bill. Acting
House
Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-MO) said that it was possible that they
might
bring the Budget Reconciliation back to the floor next week (November
14).

To read full story, go to:
http://www.alaskawild.org/Sen_House_committees_10-28-2005.html#GOP

Erik DuMont
National Field Director
Alaska Wilderness League
122 C Street, NW, Suite 240
Washington, DC 20001
P: 202-544-5205
F: 202-544-5197
www.alaskawild.org <http://www.alaskawild.org>