US budget resolution doesn't cite ANWR, but opens way for leasing

US budget resolution doesn't cite ANWR, but opens way for leasing

Washington (Platts)--29Apr2005


The US House and Senate passed a $2.6-trillion budget resolution Thursday
night that doesn't specifically mention leasing in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, but, in effect, invites the authorizing committee to do so.
The votes were 214-211 in the House and 52-47 in the Senate. 

A provision in the original Senate budget resolution assumed revenues of
$2.5-bil from ANWR lease sales. The resolution passed last night by Congress
includes instructions to the House Resources and Senate Energy committees to
provide $2.4-bil in savings over five years through the budget reconciliation
process, but leaves it up to the committees to decide how to achieve those
savings.

Both committees strongly support opening ANWR. Senate Committee Chairman Pete
Domenici (Republican-New Mexico) plans to use budget reconciliation
legislation to open ANWR because a reconciliation bill cannot be filibustered,
whereas an energy bill that includes ANWR can be.

House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (Republican-California)
included an ANWR leasing provision in comprehensive energy legislation the
House passed last week. An aide suggested that Pombo is not opposed to using
the budget process to open ANWR and is considering his options. The original
Senate budget language instructing the Energy Committee to open ANWR was
dropped in deference to House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle
(Republican-Iowa). Nussle contends that the authorizing committees should
determine policy (i.e., whether or not to open ANWR), not the budget
committees. The authorizing committees, including Senate Energy and House
Resources, must complete action on reconciliation language by the fall.

This story was originally published in Platts Global Alert
http://www.globalalert.platts.com

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