Kerry Vows to Block Arctic Refuge Drilling
WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry on Monday threatened to block any legislative plan from President Bush for opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, saying energy exploration in the pristine wilderness is wrongheaded.
“Most senators agree that drilling in ANWR is not just environmentally unsound, it gives false hopes to citizens suffering energy problems today,” said Kerry, a Democrat.
“We need to make it clear to President Bush that this approach to energy policy is unacceptable, and that is why I will, if necessary, filibuster any attempt to open ANWR to this kind of exploitation,” Kerry said.
A senator can mount a challenge to legislation by staging a filibuster, a maneuver to block action on an item by controlling the Senate floor for an unlimited time. A filibuster can be ended through legislative agreement or by invoking cloture to limit debate, which requires approval of 60 senators. The Senate is split evenly at 50 members each from the Republican and Democratic parties.
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