US House to take up bill opening ANWR to oil, gas leasing

US House to take up bill opening ANWR to oil, gas leasing

Washington (Platts)--22May2006

The US House of Representatives will take up this week legislation that
would open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and natural gas
leasing.

Billing it as a measure to increase domestic energy security and create
jobs, House Majority Leader John Boehner indicated on Thursday the chamber
would vote on H.R. 5249 Thursday.

The bill, introduced Friday by House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo,
Republican-California, has been passed by that committee twice before and can
thus advance to the floor without a committee markup, Resources spokesman
Brian Kennedy explained Monday. He expects the Rules Committee to advance the
bill on Wednesday.

The House has approved drilling in the refuge the last four years. Each
time, however, the measure has stalled in the Senate.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Pete Domenici,
Republican-New Mexico, has vowed to attach ANWR language to the budget
reconciliation bill this year, but thus far that effort has not moved beyond
the committee.

---Matt Spangler, matt_spangler@platts.com

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