Wildlife

 

Alaska Lawmakers Seek Allies To Save ANWR Drilling. According to Politico, “Alaska’s Republican senators say they are actively exploring avenues to ensure the still-in-flux reconciliation bill does not restrict drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are preparing to go on offense as House Democrats grow increasingly more vocal in their demands that the drilling prohibition, which was included in the House Natural Resources Committee’s portion of the reconciliation package, remains in play amid negotiations with the Senate. Sullivan told E&E News yesterday that he and Murkowski’s teams ‘have been working on it,’ while Murkowski said in a separate interview on Capitol Hill that she was ‘working to build our allies’ on the issue. Their most likely ally at this point is Sen. Joe Manchin, the moderate West Virginia Democrat and critical swing vote who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over the ANWR issue in the reconciliation process. In 2017, the Republican-controlled Congress put language in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — which was passed and signed into law through the reconciliation process — to lift the ban on oil and gas drilling in ANWR’s coastal plain. Manchin supported it.” [Politico, 9/23/21 (=)]

 

Out Of ANWR. According to Politico, “While Biden mediates, a group of 60 House Democrats is urging him to ensure provisions to end oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are included in reconciliation. House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva, along with Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), led the effort in a letter Wednesday. Reconciliation provisions advanced out of the Natural Resources Committee included items ending the leasing program and buying back leases issued in January under the Trump administration. The ANWR leasing program was adopted as part of the Republicans’ 2017 tax plan, which was passed via reconciliation. The House Democrats assert the program did not lead to the financial benefits advertised under the 2017 plan and that it unnecessarily puts local wildlife at risk.” [Politico, 9/23/21 (=)]

 

 

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