Please Act Today to Protect ANWR

I received an email today from The Wilderness Society that I want to pass on and ask you respond to. The short version - Senator Judd Gregg placed drilling in ANWR into the Senate Budget Resolution. Senator Cantwell has written an amendment to strip it back out. The Wilderness Society, and I am asking you to call or email your Senators TODAY to get them to support the Cantwell Amendment. See details from the Wilderness Society in the expanded entry.

Take Action

Your Help Needed Again to Protect the Arctic Refuge

Time and again you have answered our calls to action on behalf of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Your calls and faxes have captured the attention of many in Congress. Words can't possibly express how grateful we at The Wilderness Society are to you.

Please don't let up now. The need to keep the pressure on the Senate this week is critically important.

The Senate is expected to vote on the Budget Resolution this Wednesday, March 16. We need you to keep up the pressure on your Senators, urging them to vote for the Cantwell amendment, which would strip out Arctic Refuge drilling from the Budget Resolution.

Calls are best, but we are urging folks to call, and then use our action page to send a written message.

Call NOW

You should be able to reach the Capitol switchboard by calling this toll-free number: 1-800-247-2971. If you have problems with the toll-free number, you can call your Senators directly at:

Senator Ron Wyden
(202) 224-5244

Senator Gordon Smith
(202) 224-3753

Your message: Please vote for the Cantwell amendment to strip Arctic Refuge drilling from the Senate Budget Resolution.

If you absolutely cannot call, please click here to send your Senators a message:
Congressional Contact Locator

This is the email I sent my Senators: Dear Senator, I urge you most strongly to support the Cantwell amendment to strip drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge out of the Senate Budget Resolution.

The public has spoken again and again against drilling in ANWR, and the budget is no place for such an important and controversial decision.

Please support the Cantwell Amendment to remove it. At the very least, a decision of such magnitude should be discussed on its own - not buried within an omnibus budget package.

House Bill Free of Arctic Refuge Provision
This week, the House and Senate Budget Committees marked up the budget. The House budget resolution has no explicit Arctic provision in it. But drilling proponents may still try to exploit opportunities to slip Arctic drilling past the House through the budget process, if House Members are not actively vigilant.

Senate Bill Includes Arctic Refuge Drilling

In the Senate, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH) decided to include the controversial drilling provision in the Senate version. Despite opposition from several Senators in his own party, Senator Gregg said he thought it was "reasonable" to assume that the drilling provision would remain in the budget. Our WildAlert members in New Hampshire are working hard to deliver a message to Sen. Gregg that this position is unacceptable.

During the budget committee meeting, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) offered an amendment to strip the Arctic drilling provision out of the budget resolution. The amendment failed on a straight party-line vote, 10-12. As you can see, our efforts to protect the unequalled Arctic Refuge are far from over.

Please Call Today, Then Ask Your Friends To Do So As Well

We need your calls and emails to the Senate on Tuesday and Wednesday!

Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 1-800-247-2971 (or 202-224-3121) or use the direct numbers above.

Your message:
Please vote for the Cantwell amendment to strip Arctic Refuge drilling from the Senate budget resolution.

If you want to say more:
Opening the Arctic Refuge to drilling through the budget process would be fiscally irresponsible, since no one knows the amount or value of oil that is there. Moreover, it would ruin a wilderness and wildlife habitat that is unequalled any where on earth. This is one place where drilling must not take place.

After you call, or if you cannot call, send your Senators an email from:
http://ga1.org/campaign/arcticsenate/65geg5rl7t8kmn

Thank you again for all you have done to protect this exquisite wildlife refuge from being destroyed.