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Washington office opposes ANWR drilling in federal budget
Episcopal News Service
Issue:
Section:
2003-054
By: Jan Nunley
Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2003
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The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations (OGR) in Washington, DC, has joined with other faith groups in an effort to block the inclusion of revenues derived from oil or gas drilling or exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in the 2004 federal budget, currently under consideration.
In a letter dated March 10 and sent to both the House and Senate Budget Committees, John Johnson of OGR linked protection of the Arctic Refuge to 'stewardship of God's creation' as well as human justice and 'the fundamental rights of the Gwich'in people,' nearly all of whom are Episcopalian.
'The Gwich'in are among the oldest and most traditional Native cultures in existence today,' said Johnson, and their subsistence way of life depends on the well-being of the Porcupine caribou herd that uses ANWR's Coastal Plain as its summer calving grounds. 'In fact, the Coastal Plain is so sacred to the Gwich'in that they will not walk on that ground even in time of famine,' Johnson said.
The annual budget resolution cannot be filibustered, and requires only 51 votes to pass in the Senate. 'Senate proponents of drilling are desperately trying to get 50 votes to allow the Vice President the opportunity to break a tie,' said Johnson. 'Last year's Senate vote to allow drilling in the Arctic failed by a vote of 54-46. If the votes aren't there, this may end the proponents' attempts to use a back-door budget maneuver to include drilling. Episcopalians should call their members of Congress tell them to keep the Arctic out of the budget.'
The General Convention in 1991 passed a resolution (D125) opposing the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development. The Executive Council passed a resolution in February 2002 supporting 'meaningful conservation-based energy policy [that] prohibits drilling in ANWR.'
'The Episcopal Church has repeatedly called on Congress to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and encouraged the development of a clean, reliable and just national energy policy,' the letter concluded. 'On behalf of the Episcopal Church and the Gwich'in culture, I strongly urge you to resist any attempts to open the Arctic Refuge to oil and gas development in the current budget process.'
The Office of Government Relations is charged with representing the public policy positions of the Episcopal Church to the U.S. government, including Congress, the White House, and various departments and agencies. Its mandate comes from the General Convention or the Executive Council, the two policy-making bodies of the church.
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