Washington, DC– U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today denounced efforts to hold funding for our nation’s armed forces and relief for Hurricane Katrina victims hostage to efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and vowed to oppose a plan by the Republican majority to violate Senate rules.

Senator Feinstein said she would oppose a vote to limit debate on the Fiscal Year 2006 Defense Appropriations Bill if the ANWR provision is included in the conference report.

“This is a brazen attempt by the Republican leadership to hold funding for our troops and relief for Hurricane Katrina victims hostage to a misguided effort to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling,” Senator Feinstein said. “In recent days we've seen Republican leadership debating whether to break Senate rules in order to open up drilling in ANWR. With this new strategy, the abuse of power reaches a new extreme.”

Senator Feinstein also indicated that she would oppose efforts to put other controversial legislation on the conference report -- including the reauthorization of the Commodities Futures Exchange Act and a provision that would give broad liability protection for vaccine manufacturers – onto the conference report.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the ranking member of the Military Construction Subcommittee, Senator Feinstein is a strong supporter of providing funding for our armed forces and to provide relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina. But she does not believe that it is appropriate to put controversial legislation onto the Defense Appropriations conference report, when the provision was not included in either the House or Senate version of the bill.

“Our society is run by laws and rules. In the Senate we have a system of rules which guide how and when legislation may be considered. Rule 28 prohibits the Senate from considering legislation on a conference report that was not included in the Senate or House version of the bill. Yet today, Republicans are considering breaking this rule in order to achieve their goals. We either have rules or we don't. I am very concerned about the willingness of Republican leadership to consider breaking the rules anytime they don't like how the votes line up. I urge all my colleagues to oppose this effort and uphold the rules of the Senate.”

Senator Feinstein is a long-time opponent of drilling in ANWR. She has voted to oppose drilling in ANWR many times, including in this congress.

“Opening ANWR to drilling is a major mistake. Stated simply—we cannot drill our way out of this problem. To those who claim ANWR drilling is an answer to our oil shortage, I profoundly disagree. Yes, we are too dependent on foreign oil, and need to reduce that dependence, but drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is simply not the answer.”

“ANWR will not provide this country with energy security. The Refuge coastal plain, which is what would be opened up for drilling, is the ecological heart of the refuge, the center of wildlife activity, and the home to nearly 200 wildlife species, including polar bears, musk oxen, and caribou. At its peak, oil production from the Refuge would only be about 1% of world oil production. It is not worth damaging a pristine, environmentally valuable Refuge for less than 1% of the world’s oil output.”

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