The senate just passed the budget bill containing the provision to drill in the refuge.
Amid the backdrop of soaring oil and gasoline prices, a sharply divided Senate on Wednesday voted to open the ecologically rich Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, delivering a major energy policy win for President Bush.
The Senate, by a 51-49 vote, rejected an attempt by Democrats and GOP moderates to remove a refuge drilling provision from next year's budget.
The action, assuming Congress agrees on a budget, clears the way for approving drilling in the refuge later this year, drilling supporters said.
It really is unfortunate during a time when global warming seems even more real-with the warm oceans and the multiple large hurricanes-the leaders of this country choose to follow this route.
Here is the link
http://msnbc.msn.com/...
It still has to go to the house but Im not holding out much hope with that.