ANWR Oil

Senate Votes to Open Alaskan Oil Drilling

Amid the backdrop of soaring oil and gasoline prices, a sharply divided Senate on Wednesday voted to open the ecologically rich Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, delivering a major energy policy win for President Bush.

The Senate, by a 51-49 vote, rejected an attempt by Democrats and GOP moderates to remove a refuge drilling provision from next year's budget, preventing opponents from using a filibuster - a tactic that has blocked repeated past attempts to open the Alaska refuge to oil companies.

So, it's a done deal. The next thing to watch for is how much corporate welfare will be necessary to get anyone to drill there. I guess it's time to cut the rope holding Hawaii to the Continental United States.