Below is a list of U.S. Senators and their votes on the Cantwell amendment to keep Arctic Refuge drilling from the Senate Budget Resolution.
A “y” indicates the person voted for the Cantwell amendment and for Arctic Refuge protection.
A “n” indicates the person voted against the Cantwell amendement and against Arctic Refuge protection.
Please call your senators on Thursday, March 17, 2005, to tell them thank you or to express your outrage: 202-224-3121
[mjh: follow the link above for the full list; this abridged list includes the Republicans and Democrats that voted against their parties.]
State Party Senator Vote on Cantwell
AZ R McCain Y
ME R Collins Y
ME R Snowe Y
MN R Coleman Y
OH R DeWine Y
OR R Smith Y
RI R Chafee Y
VT I Jeffords Y
HI D Akaka n
HI D Inouye n
LA D Landrieu n
Update 3/17/05:
[mjh: As a native Hawai’ian, my heart breaks.]
Democratic Sens. Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka were joined by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., in the coalition with 48 Republicans to override an attempt by other Democrats and moderate Republicans to remove a provision in next year’s budget that would allow drilling in the refuge.
Inouye and Akaka said that they believe their votes represent the position of a majority of the native peoples in the region. Both senators have a history of voting to support the Inupiat Eskimos, some of whom want the refuge opened to oil and gas exploration and drilling, although environmental groups said that support has been waning.
Inouye has said that since Hawai’i is an oil-dependent state, it is imperative that new oil deposits be found and developed to ensure a steady access to meet the state’s energy needs.
Hawai’i senators help open Arctic to drilling
Update 3/18/05:
[mjh: follow the money]
Opensecrets.org–Money in politics data
Update 3/19/05:
[via The Daily Outrage]
The Nation | Blog | The Daily Outrage | Ari Berman
Democrats Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana handed Bush a huge victory–and the environment a huge loss–this week by voting to open up Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil drilling. The Hawaii delegation made a shrewd political compromise: they’d support the ANWR provision if Alaska’s Ted Stevens co-sponsored a bill recognizing Native Hawaiians as indigenous peoples. Mary Landrieu, on the other hand, is the darling of her state’s oil and gas interests, who contributed $303,000 to her 2002 campaign. Before the vote, a Kerry staffer told me that Landrieu would vote with her fellow Democrats. Apparently, there’s nothing quite like stabbing your own kind in the back.