WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 — President Bush savored victory Thursday after the House passed an energy bill that relies on producing more oil, natural gas and nuclear power to meet the nation’s energy needs. Central to the debate was whether to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, which a majority of representatives OK’d.
“WE SHOWED THEM last night how we can break Washington gridlock,” the president told reporters as he entered the Capitol for a meeting with Republicans.
After 14 hours of debate Wednesday, House lawmakers finally approved the full energy bill shortly after midnight. The vote was 240-189, with 36 Democrats joining Republicans.
The House had earlier voted 223-206 against the amendment, which would maintain the protected status of the wildlife refuge, which is a haven for thousands of calving caribou, polar bears and other wildlife that includes millions of migrating birds.
The vote was a major victory for the president, who has made drilling in the Arctic refuge a major plank in his energy plan, arguing that drilling would occur on just 2,000 acres of the refuge’s 19 million acres and that high-tech tools would minimize any environmental impacts.
“I urge the members of the House of Representatives to support the energy bill that will include allowing for there to be a small amount of exploration in ANWR that will yield a lot of energy on behalf of the people of America,” Bush told reporters before the vote.
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. and a co-sponsor of the defeated amendment, countered that the 2,000 acres would create a “spider web” of drilling platforms, pipelines and roads extending across the region.
Government estimates have said the refuge, located in northeastern Alaska and frequented by millions of migrating birds, caribou and other wildlife, could hold up to a total of 16 billion barrels of oil. The U.S. market consumes close to 20 million barrels of oil a day and must import about 60 percent of that amount.
Despite the House decision, the provision to allow drilling almost certainly will not pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Senate Democrats have vowed to block an attempt to open the Arctic refuge to oil companies, although the House vote gives the issue fresh momentum. Moreover, their version of an energy bill focuses more on conservation, less on production.
Wednesday’s House vote was the first time in 21 years that the House has taken up the Arctic drilling issue. In 1980, Congress declared that the coastal plain within the refuge potentially could be tapped for its oil resources, but not without a green light from Capitol Hill.
Proponents argue that, with modern technology, oil exploration and development can be done without environmental harm to the refuge.
The refuge “was supposed to be drilled, explored for the American people,” declared Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. He chided some of the drilling opponents, many of whom, he said, had never been to the refuge in the far corner of northeastern Alaska.
“This is no ordinary land,” shot back Rep. David Bonior, D-Mich., who said he had been there. “It’s a cathedral of nature, an American heritage. And it’s our responsibility to protect it.”
The question, added Bonior, was whether the nation will honor its heritage “or will the big oil companies win?”
Protection of the refuge, which was created 41 years ago by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, emerged as the most hotly debated issue in a 510-page package of energy proposals approved late Wednesday night and sent to the Senate.
“This bill is a giant step forward in securing America’s energy future,” declared Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., chairman of one of eight House committees that had a hand in crafting the legislation.
In addition to the Arctic drilling, the House bill would provide $33.5 billion in energy tax breaks and credits, most of it to promote coal, oil, nuclear and natural gas development, but also about $6 billion aimed at spurring energy conservation.
Democrats said the bill was too heavily tilted toward helping energy companies with tax benefits over the next decade. They said $8 of every $10 would go to coal, oil, nuclear and other energy industries.
The revenue drain could force Congress to dip into Medicare or Social Security trust funds, Democrats charged. The White House acknowledged that the tax incentives would reduce the budget surplus by at least $30 billion.
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