Fight continues for Arctic refuge

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[b]Fight continues for Arctic refuge[/b]

Washington, DC — WWF is confident that plans to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) will not take place, despite a decision in support of drilling by the United States Senate.

On Wednesday March 16th, the US Senate voted by a razor-thin margin to take the first step towards drilling for oil in the ANWR. While disappointed with the result of the vote, WWF was keen to underline the narrow margin of victory.

A bipartisan group of senators had attempted to safeguard the ANWR, the native people and wildlife that depend on it. However, in the end 51 to 49 Senators voted against the amendment to strip Arctic drilling revenues from the budget resolution.

The ANWR is located in the US state of Alaska, covering 19 million acres, and home to 45 types of mammal, including polar bears and caribou, and 180 species of bird. The oil potential is estimated at 16 billion barrels.

\"It is important to note that the budget resolution does not have the force of law,” said Randall Snodgrass, Director of Government Relations at WWF-US. “It is merely the first step in the budget process that can lead to the enactment of legislation.”

“This battle is far from over,\" he added. \"The majority of the American people are overwhelmingly opposed to drilling in the Arctic Refuge. We are confident that Congress will ultimately listen to them and protect this national treasure.\"

The Senate now has to vote on the budget resolution but the final step is for approval by Congress. Congress has not successfully passed a budget bill in recent years.

WWF-US has launched a conservation action alert, asking its activists to urge their representatives to keep Arctic drilling out of the House budget resolution. It is also calling on representatives and senators to co-sponsor legislation designating the coastal plain of the refuge a federal wilderness.

For more information:
Philip B. Kavits, Vice President, Communications
WWWF-US
Tel: + 1 202 778 9540
E-Mail: phil.kavits@wwfus.org

[url=\"http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/other_news/news.cfm?uNewsID=19192&uLangID=1\"]source: World Wildlife Federation[/url]