A Victory for the Arctic Refuge

Hadar Susskind
COEJL Washington Representative

Washington, D.C. (March 19, 2003) - In a close 52-48 vote this afternoon, the Senate passed the Boxer amendment on the Arctic Refuge. This crucial piece of legislation prohibited the inclusion in the budget of a provision allowing the opening of the Arctic Refuge to drilling. One of the key votes on the issue was that of Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota. In my capacity as Washington Representative for COEJL, I met earlier this week with his staff in order to discuss this important vote. Senator Coleman should be congratulated for his principled stand and for living up to his campaign promise. Although the fight for the Arctic Refuge is far from over, today’s vote was an important victory for all of us who have been working on this issue.

###