Bellingham Herald — Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state, a longtime opponent of oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildife Refuge, has helped defeat the latest Republican plan to open up the refuge for new energy exploration.
Cantwell, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, raised objections Tuesday when Utah GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch offered a plan that would have allowed drilling rigs into the refuge and protected waters off the coast of Florida and southern California.
“We all know that gas prices going up are a very big challenge to us and we need to find alternatives to foreign oil,” Cantwell said. “But just drilling more as our strategy to pay for this bill is just not going to get us there… It’s as if we think now that we can go ahead and open up all of the drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge.”
As one of the most beautiful states in the union–and one of the richest in natural resources–Washington has a special interest in energy and environmental policy. And Maria has fought hard to uphold the state’s conservation tradition, while also working to bring our energy policy into the 21st century.
Maria knows Washington’s business community – because, as an executive at an innovative software company, she was part of it. And as a Senator, she’s led the way in helping businesses large and small throughout Washington grow, thrive, and create jobs.
Maria has taken a leadership role on safety and security issues, including defending our borders, strengthening our military, cracking down on gangs, and taking on drug crime in Washington communities
Middle-class families around Washington and across the country are facing tough times–and tough decisions about balancing the family checkbook each month. Maria has fought to strengthen the economic security of Washington families and cut taxes for middle-class families.
