John Kerry on Senate Vote to Allow Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

In an effort to stave off the drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge today, Senators John Kerry and Maria Cantwell offered an amendment to the controversial provision of drilling by the oil companies. The amendment was defeated.

The following is statement by John Kerry on the defeat of the amendment and drilling in the Arctic Refuge:

Today the Senate failed to adopt an amendment, offered by Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and others, to remove a controversial provision in the budget reconciliation package to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling by oil companies. The measure to keep the current ban on drilling in ANWR failed 48-51. It is scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives next week.

“Despite years of control in Washington, George Bush and the Republican leadership in Congress have been unable to scare up enough support for opening the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling, so they have resorted to underhanded procedural maneuvers to give a handout to big oil at the expense of our environment and our future energy security.

“It’s time this Administration acknowledged we can’t drill our way to energy independence. We have to invent our way there. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is bad energy policy, bad for our environment, and bad for taxpayers who care about their hard-earned dollars going to corporations.

“While American families struggle to fill up their cars and heat their homes, oil companies are experiencing windfall profits. They don’t need any more giveaways from the Republican Party, especially ones that put our environment behind special interests.

“Anyone who says this is about energy independence is just plain lying. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge can’t make even a small dent in meeting America’s energy needs. The administration’s own scientists at U.S. Geological Survey say there probably is only enough oil to supply America’s needs for six months, and even the oil companies admit that even that won’t be available for at least 10 years.

“I will continue to fight this every step of the way.”