wfn.org | Episcopalians: Washington office opposes ANWR drilling in federal budget

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

March 11, 2003

2003-054

Episcopalians: Washington office opposes ANWR drilling in 
federal budget

by Jan Nunley

(ENS) The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations 
(OGR) in Washington, DC, has joined with other faith groups in 
an effort to block the inclusion of revenues derived from oil or 
gas drilling or exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife 
Refuge (ANWR) in the 2004 federal budget, currently under 
consideration.

In a letter dated March 10 and sent to both the House and Senate 
Budget Committees, John Johnson of OGR linked protection of the 
Arctic Refuge to "stewardship of God's creation" as well as 
human justice and "the fundamental rights of the Gwich'in 
people," nearly all of whom are Episcopalian.

"The Gwich'in are among the oldest and most traditional Native 
cultures in existence today," said Johnson, and their 
subsistence way of life depends on the well-being of the 
Porcupine caribou herd that uses ANWR's Coastal Plain as its 
summer calving grounds. "In fact, the Coastal Plain is so sacred 
to the Gwich'in that they will not walk on that ground even in 
time of famine," Johnson said.

The annual budget resolution cannot be filibustered, and 
requires only 51 votes to pass in the Senate. "Senate proponents 
of drilling are desperately trying to get 50 votes to allow the 
Vice President the opportunity to break a tie," said Johnson. 
"Last year's Senate vote to allow drilling in the Arctic failed 
by a vote of 54-46.  If the votes aren't there, this may end the 
proponents' attempts to use a back-door budget maneuver to 
include drilling. Episcopalians should call their members of 
Congress tell them to keep the Arctic out of the budget."

The General Convention in 1991 passed a resolution (D125) 
opposing the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to 
oil and gas development. The Executive Council passed a 
resolution in February 2002 supporting "meaningful 
conservation-based energy policy [that] prohibits drilling in 
ANWR."

"The Episcopal Church has repeatedly called on Congress to 
protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and encouraged the 
development of a clean, reliable and just national energy 
policy," the letter concluded. "On behalf of the Episcopal 
Church and the Gwich'in culture, I strongly urge you to resist 
any attempts to open the Arctic Refuge to oil and gas 
development in the current budget process." 

The Office of Government Relations is charged with representing 
the public policy positions of the Episcopal Church to the U.S. 
government, including Congress, the White House, and various 
departments and agencies. Its mandate comes from the General 
Convention or the Executive Council, the two policy-making 
bodies of the church.

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--The Rev. Jan Nunley is deputy director of Episcopal News 
Service.