Senate Republicans Pave Way for Oil Drilling in Alaska Refuge
- Budget proposal measure could be passed without Democrats
- Oil drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge nixed in 1980
Caribou in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on June 18, 2017.
Photographer: The Asahi Shimbun via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Senate Republicans set the stage for using the budget to end the 37-year ban on oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
A provision in the budget resolution, released Friday, tells the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to come up with $1 billion in savings over 10 years. That mandate is the first legislative step necessary for Congress to approve drilling in the preserve, known as ANWR, without the threat of a Democratic filibuster.