The U.S. House of Representatives managed to pass the budget reconciliation bill just before adjourning for the Holiday. The vote went along partisan lines and narrowly passed by a 217 vote in favor with 215 opposed. 14 Republicans joined all voting Democrats and one Independent in opposing the bill.
Shortly before the vote took place, The Conservation Alliance led a delegation of outdoor business leaders in a lobby trip to Washington DC. Representatives from The Conservation Alliance, Montrail, Patagonia, and Timberland, joined the owners of Zumiez, Kennan Ward Photography, and the Anchorage Guest House to show Congress that many businesses support protection for the Arctic Refuge. The group met with 12 House and Senate offices, focusing on members who are considered swing votes on the ANWR issue.
The trip focused on the House of Representatives debate over budget legislation for 2006 in which a provision was included that would provide subsidies for oil drilling in ANWR. Prior to the debate, a group of 29 moderate Republicans sent a letter to their party leadership saying they would oppose any budget legislation that includes the Arctic drilling provision. On November 10, after two days of Capitol Hill meetings the House agreed to drop this provision from the budget bill.
While this is certainly a win for the Conservation Alliance, The budget passed by House Republicans puts at risk other lands that could be even more influential to the Outdoor Industry. The budget includes language seeking to sell off millions of acres of public lands currently protected by the federal government. Environmental groups have called this “one of the largest land giveaways in our nation's history.” Areas in or near national parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon, could all be at risk.
