I apologize ahead of time for this short diary.
Pombo and the Republicans are at it again...this time the attempt to drill in the Arctic Refuge comes in H.R. 5429. The size of the Arctic Refuge (according to a Rep who just spoke on the floor...whose name I can't recall at the moment and I'm away from my TiVo, so I can't rewind) is apparently the size of South Carolina.
Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is a bad plan. The oil won't be available for 10 years...the amount of oil there is not only unknown and unverifiable at the moment, but oil is simply NOT the future of energy in this country. We need to move towards alternatives NOW and relying on the Arctic Refuge and destroying that land and all the wildlife living in it isn't going to help prevent global warming or help end our addiction to oil.
From the NRDC (thanks to emmasnacker for this!):
"This week they're dangling jobs and money in front of the American public.
Their so-called "American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act" (H.R. 5429) uses wildly inflated numbers to claim that drilling the Arctic Refuge is good for labor and good for the federal treasury. snip...Tell your Representative to put the public interest ahead of oil company
profits by voting NO on H.R. 5429.
This particular bill is especially dangerous because it will appeal to a few dozen swing Democrats who sometimes vote for energy industry interests. We've only got one or two days to shore up support among moderate Republicans and to hold the Democrats together in defense of the Arctic.
That's why generating a flood of calls in all 435 Congressional districts is vitally important.
Please pick up the phone right now, call your Representative, and urge a NO vote on H.R. 5429."
Click here to email and call your Representatives!!
UPDATED This is from C-Span.org:
"H.RES.835
Title: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5429) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources of the Coastal Plain of Alaska, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Bishop, Rob [UT-1] (introduced 5/24/2006) Cosponsors (None)
Related Bills: H.R.5429
Latest Major Action: 5/24/2006 Placed on the House Calendar, Calendar No. 184.
House Reports: 109-480"
I believe this means that they have approved to have a vote on H.R. 5429...I don't think they have approved H.R. 5429 yet...but I could be wrong...I'm not super good at reading these things yet...
Update 2: Okay...this is from C-Span.org too:
"5/24/2006 Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 835 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 5429 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Bill is closed to amendments."
So that means there are no more amendments to be added...and the vote on H.R. 5429 is coming up...
