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Arctic Power campaigns at full throttle Balance of power in Senate may hang on ANWR issue as Democrats play chicken with energy bill; Daschle controls discussion timetable Steve Sutherlin PNA Managing Editor
With Senate discussion of an energy bill looming, Arctic Power is conducting an all-out campaign to get its Arctic National Wildlife Refuge pro-development message out to 12 key senators and their constituents, using radio messages in the home districts of senators, phone calls and face-to-face meetings, a spokesman for Arctic Power told PNA Feb. 19. It plans to throw most of its war chest at the effort.
“We assume that this is our last opportunity for a positive vote. If we end up with zero money and we win, we have achieved what we set out to achieve,” the spokesman said.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene Feb. 26 following the Presidents’ week recess, but discussion of the Democrat energy bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle Feb. 15 won’t take place until Daschle places the bill on the Senate agenda.
Although Daschle controls the timetable to bring up the energy bill, his maneuverings to block ANWR development are dangerous politically because if the Democrats derail the bill when the public increasingly sees it as vital to national security, Democratic senators could pay the price in the November election, Arctic Power said.
The Democrats hold the majority in the Senate by only one seat, so the loss of a seat to a Republican holds significant implications for the control of the Senate. With the president’s popularity continuing at high levels, observers consider the seats of a number of Democratic senators to be at risk this fall. Daschle’s fellow Democratic senator from South Dakota, Tim Johnson, faces election this year. Timing is key Several Democrats have vowed to filibuster if an amendment to develop ANWR is added to the energy bill.
The timing of a filibuster is significant, Arctic Power said, because if it occurs after Senate members have invested time and energy in the bill, some senators may vote for cloture just to save the bill, even if they hadn’t intended to vote in favor of ANWR development. The outcome will hinge on the skill of the leaders on either side of the issue, Arctic Power said.
Even if Daschle wins the first round and keeps ANWR development out of the Senate bill, the issue isn’t dead. Because ANWR development was included in the House energy bill that passed last year, and in light of the president’s support for development, the joint conference committee may add an ANWR development provision back in, Arctic Power said. No ads in Washington, D.C. Arctic Power will continue its media blitz in the home districts of key senators until the energy bill vote takes place.
The organization has learned that radio gives the best results for the dollar, and that an effective home state radio campaign will create telephone calls to senate offices.
When constituents load up the phone banks, senators listen.
One thing Arctic Power won’t be doing is running ads in Washington, D.C.
“Don’t think for a moment that media in D.C. affects senators,” said the spokesman. “It took us a long time to learn that.”
The most effective way to influence senators in Washington is to meet face to face, Arctic Power said, and that has become easier now that the Senate offices are cleared of anthrax and reopened.
“Ten to twelve members don’t know what they will do,” the spokesman said. “If we get them all, or even if we get our share, we will win.”
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