The Beauty of the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve.

The Canadians don't want the drilling in a sensitive part of the world.

U.S. Senate backs oil drilling in Alaskan refuge

CTV.ca News Staff
A proposal that would have protected the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling has been voted down by the U.S. Senate.

An amendment brought forth by Democrat Senator Maria Cantwell proposed killing plans to open up the Alaska wilderness to drilling. However, it was voted down 51-48.

Canada opposes such drilling, arguing that it threatens the refuge's wildlife, including the migrating Porcupine River caribou herd. It migrates into Yukon and helps feed the Yukon's Gwich'in First Nation.

Environment Minister Stephane Dion said that Canada will continue to press its case. A 1987 agreement between the two countries states they're supposed to refrain from activities that could damage the caribou herd or its habitat.

"This is a sad day but its only one stage in the process," Larry Bagnell, parliamentary secretary to Canada's Natural Resources minister, told the Canadian Press.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has voiced his opposition to the plan -- most recently in early October, to a room full of Wall Street power brokers during a one-day blitz in New York.
Martin said it doesn't make sense to risk damage to the Arctic for a minimal amount of oil. He said Canada's oil sands and hydroelectric resources have the potential to cover for what could be produced in the Arctic.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the refuge may contain enough oil to supply the United States for 16 months.