Dear NRDC Earth Activist, Pro-drilling supporters eked out a win Thursday night on a budget resolution that was specially crafted to allow oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But keep your chin up! There are many more rounds of this fight ahead of us and, backed by your continued activism, we are absolutely committed to blocking this newest sneak attack on America`s greatest wildlife refuge. The House of Representatives will act next when it decides whether or not to include Arctic drilling in its version of the budget resolution later this month. We will be contacting you to take action in the critical days leading up to that vote. Thanks to thousands of phone calls and email messages from NRDC Earth Activists like you, Thursday night`s Senate vote was extremely close: 51 to 49. In fact, your efforts helped sway several Republicans to vote with nearly all the Democrats against this Arctic drilling budget. The Senate will have to cast at least two more votes on the budget bill this year if they hope to open the Arctic Refuge to drilling. So it is absolutely critical that you keep the pressure on them, no matter how they voted Thursday night. To see how your Senators voted, go to
http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/arcticphotos/arcticvote.asp Then, please call your two Senators. If they voted FOR the budget resolution, let them know you disagree strongly with their vote. If they voted AGAINST the budget, express your thanks and urge them to stand firm in defense of the Arctic Refuge on future votes. If you are unable to telephone, then please go to the Senate website
[ http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm ],
where you can look up your Senators and send them email messages. This year`s fight to defend the Arctic Refuge is shaping up to be a replay of last year`s all-out battle. With your support, the NRDC Action Fund will continue working day and night to turn back this latest attack on America`s premiere wildlife sanctuary. Sincerely,
Frances Beinecke
NRDC Action Fund | 
