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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, March 15, 2005

EDITORIAL
Arctic oil drilling may be one vote away

Soaring energy prices and the precarious nature of Persian Gulf oil are enhancing the chances that Congress will soon approve oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge.

Expediency, however, will do nothing to diminish the harm caused by such a tragic mistake.

We've argued numerous times against irreversibly damaging this pristine wilderness simply because — as a nation — we are unwilling to wean ourselves from overdependence on oil.

But this week, the Senate will take its best shot in years at winning Arctic National Wildlife Refuge access by embedding a provision in the vast fiscal 2006 budget document.

That means it requires only a simple majority to pass, rather than the 60 votes that have been needed in the past.

A policy decision of this magnitude shouldn't be an end-run procedural ploy.

Let's hope Hawai'i's two senators, Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka, who have consistently supported this project, will at least vote to exclude the ANWR measure from the budget so it can face a full review on its merits.