Imagine This: Some Good News!

Last week there was at last some good news out of Congress. Twenty-four members of the majority-Republican House sent a letter to Resources Committee Chair, Richard Pombo, Budget Committee Chair, Jim Nussle, and Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert (Republicans all), requesting that the issue of opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling be removed from the budget reconciliation bill. It was placed there several months back in a move to circumvent any attempt to filibuster the issue on the floor. The budget bill cannot be filibustered, and if passed would simply be signed into law.

The letter states: "We believe that the reconciliation process is an inappropriate venue to be debating this important environmental issue." Getting the ANWR drilling issue out of the budget bill is a first step, after which it would still need to be debated, passed or not passed. To keep it from passing, a lot of Republican support will be needed. It is not known how these 24 representatives would vote on the issue, but their acknowledgment that it is an "important environmental issue" gives me some hope. The text of the letter, with the names and signatures of the reps is here. Check to see if your representative(s) are signers, as mine is, and please send them a note of gratitude. Include your hope that they will continue to recognize the environmental important of this issue by voting to keep ANWR the pristine place it is.

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