Arctic wildlife refuge wins reprieve

U.S. House drops bid to permit oil drilling Martin ‘encouraged’ but says fight not over

WASHINGTON— U. S. House Republicans temporarily postponed their search for enough support to pass a budget bill yesterday, delaying an expected test of wills on Capitol Hill over Arctic oil drilling that Ottawa opposes. House of Representatives leaders thought they had enough support to pass the bill when they agreed to appease 26 moderate Republicans Wednesday by dropping a provision in the bill that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. A showdown is expected between the Republican- led Senate — which is determined to permit drilling in the refuge and last week voted to allow it — and the Republican- led House, which had to promise its rebellious members it would not allow the drilling provision back into the bill when the two chambers reconcile their language. Prime Minister Paul Martin and a disparate group of anti- drilling allies — which now include environmentalists, evangelicals, Democrats and moderate Republicans — could take encouragement from the Republican disarray.

For two decades, Ottawa has fought repeated U. S. attempts to open the refuge to drilling, arguing it will disrupt the migration of the Porcupine Caribou herd and threaten the culture of the Gwich’in nation in the Yukon.

Martin has raised Canadian objections with U. S. President George W. Bush, who has repeatedly pushed Congress to okay the drilling, but suffered another in a string of setbacks with the House decision.

In Ottawa, Martin said he was “ very encouraged” by the House move but acknowledged the issue is far from resolved.

“ This is an important step forward in the protection of the refuge, the Gwich’in people and the Porcupine Caribou herd,” the Prime Minister said in a statement.

“ However, a number of hurdles still remain and Canada cannot relax until the final votes are cast.” Most congressional analysts were predicting yesterday that the decision on drilling in the Arctic refuge would eventually come back to the House where Republicans would be forced to vote down the entire budget bill to protect the refuge. Democrats said they believed Arctic drilling had merely been given a temporary reprieve.