12.21.05

Cantwell Leads Senate in Stopping Arctic Drilling

Calls for Immediate Passage of Funding Bill for Troops

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement on the successful blocking of drilling in the Arctic from the defense spending bill. Cantwell led the fight on the Senate floor to keep the Senate playing by the rules and putting the people’s interests before the special interests.

“This was a great bipartisan victory for all members who worked to play by the rules and a great bipartisan victory for our troops,” said Cantwell, a member of the Senate’s Commerce and Energy Committees. “I'm glad we stood up to say that this trickery. It’s time to fund and support the troops now without anymore tricks. Now that we’ve successfully removed these provisions from this legislation, we can get down to business and deliver to our men and women in uniform around the world the resources they need to do their jobs and keep America safe. We successfully stopped drilling in the Arctic for now, but we will remain vigilant next year to make sure that the country focuses its energy on real solutions to our over dependence on foreign oil and not Christmas packages for the oil companies.”

Cantwell, who also serves as the chair of Energy Independence 2020, had threatened earlier in the week to use all procedural means to remove the Arctic Refuge drilling provision and had been working to convince her colleagues to stand with her on this issue. Cantwell has been a leader in the fight to prevent drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.