HOUSE MISSES CHANCE TO MOVE AMERICA BEYOND OIL

Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is No Answer

WASHINGTON (May 25, 2006) -- In voting today to open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, the House demonstrated anew that it has no real vision of how to end America's oil addiction.

Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would not produce any oil for use until 2016; and even then, according to the U.S. government's own data, such oil would only reduce gas prices by a penny per gallon by 2020, said Karen Wayland, NRDC's legislative director.

"Lawmakers should come back from their Memorial Day recess with some genuine solutions to reducing our consumption of oil and moving the country more toward renewable energy sources-the fastest, cheapest and cleanest path to true energy independence," Wayland said. "By using technologies available right now, we can cut oil consumption and reduce the heat-trapping pollution responsible for global warming."