Washington, D.C. – Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici today released for discussion among Republican and Democratic energy conferees the House language on oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The draft discussion text is the equivalent of a chairman’s mark for the energy conference. The inclusion of ANWR reflects Chairman Domenici’s long-standing commitment to environmentally-sound oil development in the Arctic. The draft discussion text will be reviewed in a bipartisan meeting of conferee staff tomorrow at 10 a.m. in 2322 RHOB. Chairman Domenici’s statement:
“I have included ANWR in the conference discussion draft because developing ANWR is the right thing to do. Environmentally-sound oil development in the Arctic creates hundreds of thousands of jobs, boosts our national economy, sends millions of dollars into the economies of virtually every state in the union and strengthens our national defense by making us less reliant on oil from hostile nations. “I think the House language makes great sense. But I have long said that if I can’t get the 60 votes for cloture, I won’t put ANWR in the final report. Between now and the hour when that decision must be made, I will work relentlessly for those votes. I will work until the final hours of this conference. “This year, the American people have endured gasoline shortages and natural gas shortages. They’ve watched prices at the gas pump gyrate and natural gas prices continue to climb. They’ve endured the northeast blackout and ongoing repercussions from California’s energy crisis two years ago. The American people want an energy bill. They want it now. I’m counting on the will of the American people and the bipartisan appeal of several provisions in the bill to bring us the ANWR votes. For now, it’s on the table for some serious discussion”