Washington, DC, December 23, 2005--The Senate’s failure to approve language authorizing exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) “comes as a great disappointment to manufacturers in the U.S.,” said John Engler, President of the National Association of Manufacturers. “The Senate missed an opportunity to increase America’s domestic supply of oil and natural gas for years to come.”
The vote came in an effort to attach an ANWR amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2006. A cloture vote to cut off debate came up four votes short of the 60 votes needed for passage.
“Those who killed ANWR comprised two camps: those who do not support exploration in the Arctic and those who said they do but did not like the way it came to be voted on,” said Engler. “To those who voted no because they do not support ANWR, manufacturers ask ‘What is your plan to reduce American dependence and increase domestic energy supply to reduce costs for businesses and consumers?’ And I remind those who are concerned about how the issue came to a vote, manufacturers care about results, not process.
“Today, the Senate failed the American people and voted to keep us more dependent on foreign supplies of energy,” Engler stated. “This vote comes at a particularly troubling time as China and India recently announced a partnership to secure additional oil supplies to fuel their rapidly expanding economies.
“We applaud the hard work of Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) and others to get ANWR done,” Engler said. “Clearly, they speak for the majority. But today a minority in the Senate ignored America’s manufacturing base. The failure to act means more American jobs will move overseas.”
