From: alra@governance.net Subject: Lower Your Heating Bill -- Mail Your Heating Bill To Your Congressman Land Rights Network American Land Rights Association PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973 E-mail: alra@landrights.org or alra@governance.net Web Address: http://www.landrights.org Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003 Lower Your Heating Bill -- Mail Your Heating Bill To Your Congressman Urgent action needed to cut your heating, gas and natural gas bills and end the domination of foreign oil suppliers. Your action today could save you thousands of dollars in heating costs. Natural gas bills are 38% higher this month than last month according to today’s news. You know what has happened to the price of oil. Heating oil is up substantially over last year. Do you want lower heating bills? Do you want lower natural gas bills? Do you want to be free from huge heating price increases in the future? Energy should not be a partisan issue. It is about the future of America. You must act now. *****See Action Items Below. *****Breaking News Story Below. Congress is preparing to take action in the next few days which could help or hurt you. All Democrats and some Republicans appear to be planning to vote no on supporting the Budget Reconciliation bill version that will dramatically help reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. It will lead to lower gas, heating and energy prices over time. The Senate has already added ANWR to its version of the Budget Reconciliation bill. The ANWR drilling area is a tiny 2,000 acre section of the 19,000,000 acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the North Slope of Alaska. That little piece of ANWR could produce more oil than the Prudhoe Bay discovery right next to ANWR on Alaska’s North Slope. Prudhoe Bay has supplied a tremendous percentage of America’s oil since the 70’s. But it is running out. ANWR can be added to the Budget Reconciliation Bill if even a few Democrats and the Republicans listed below support it. *****Many Democrats want to support ANWR but they are tied to a party line that is playing Russian roulette with your heating bills. It is like a game of political chicken. Only you can lose. It’s not just the Democrats. A number of Republicans listed below are also opposing energy independence. They are also engaged in the political chicken game. ANWR is home to vast, still untapped, supplies of American energy. Time is short but if you and millions like you take immediate action you have a chance to fix the provisions in the Budget Reconciliation Bill to protect our energy future, American jobs and American families. Tell your Congressman you are tired of energy welfare and dependence on foreign sources. You want energy independence for America NOW! ANWR has been approved by the Senate. The House simply has to go along. Now is your chance to strike a blow for lower gas prices, heating bills and for energy independence. Your phone call NOW could decide the future of gas prices and energy independence in this country for many years. Tell your Congressman not to let America down. Tell him to support ANWR. Ask him to tell you whether he will support ANWR or not. Tell him to look at your heating bill. *****Action Items -----1. Send your heating bill to your Congressman now! Pull out your latest heating bill (whether you heat with natural gas or oil, your costs will skyrocket this winter). Then write on the bill itself or attach a note to it, with your Congressman’s name on it. Include some of the talking points listed below in your own words. Be sure it has your name and address. If you can, send a copy of last years heating bill for the same period. That will get their attention. Address the envelope: Energy Independence Coalition, 611 Pennsylvania Ave SE #142, Washington, DC, 20003-4303. Put your Congressman’s name on it. Write: Attention (and then the name of your Congressman). Your heating bill letter will then be hand delivered to your Congressman. If you send it to your Congressman directly, it will be delayed by the anthrax inspections and he or she are not likely to see it for a month or more. -----2. This is important. Call your Congressman immediately (whether or not his is on the list below) at the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121 to tell him you are sending your latest heating bill. When the operator answers, ask for your Congressman’s office. Then ask for the staff person that handles ANWR, or Budget Reconciliation. Be sure to ask for your Congressman’s fax number. Tell him or her you are going to send the larger heating bill that comes next month also and the even larger one you will get later in the Winter. Urge him to support opening up ANWR and the OCS to exploration and production so heating prices can be kept fair and reasonable. Getting more supply will cut costs better than more energy welfare. Every Congressman must get lots of calls. -----3. Fax a copy of your heating bill to your Congressman. When you call the number above, ask for his or her fax number. Be sure to write a short note on your heating bill. -----4. Call at least three friends to urge them to do the same things. -----5. Please forward this message to as many people as you can. *****Talking Points (Pick one, two or three. Put in your own words) -----Here's my latest heating bill, proof of how my family is being hurt by out of control energy costs. -----Please don’t play partisan politics with my heating bill. Support ANWR. -----It is urgent that the House support the Senate vote in favor of the ANWR and OCS provisions in the Budget Reconciliation Bill. -----The Senate has already passed these provisions with a bipartisan vote after years of effort. -----It is important that the House take this rare opportunity to protect American jobs and families from dependence on foreign suppliers. -----I simply can't afford to have my heating, gasoline and electricity costs continue to climb. -----Please, we need your courage and leadership to stand up for Americans and restore the ANWR and OCS provisions to the Budget Reconciliation Bill. -----I will send you my energy bills every month until ANWR and OCS are opened, as a constant reminder of my desperate situation. -----My family and I will be forever grateful if you take action to provide us with badly needed help with our heating bill. It is important that every congressman or woman be contacted but it is even more important that you send your bill if yours is one of the congressmen and women who are opposing opening ANWR. See if your representative is on this list and contact him or her immediately. Jeb Bradley, NH (202) 225-5456 – FAX: (202) 225-5822 Charles Bass, NH (202) 225-5206 – FAX: (202) 225-2946 Robert Simmons, CT (202) 225-2076 – FAX: (202) 225-4977 Christopher Shays, CT (202) 225-5541 – FAX: (202) 225-9629 Nancy L. Johnson, CT (202) 225-4476 – FAX: (202) 225-4488 Sue Kelly, NY (202) 225-5441 – FAX: (202) 225-3289 Sherwood Boehlert, NY (202) 225-3665 – FAX: (202) 225-1891 James Walsh, NY (202) 225-3701 – FAX: (202) 225-4042 John McHugh, NY (202) 225-4611 – FAX: (202) 226-0621 Frank LoBiondo, NJ (202) 225-6572 – FAX: (202) 225-3318 Jim Saxton, NJ (202) 225 -- 4765 – FAX: (202) 225-0778 Mike Ferguson, NJ (202) 225-5361 – FAX: (202) 225-9460 Rodney Frelinghuysen, NJ – (202) 225-5034 – FAX: (202) 225-3186 Jim Gerlach, PA (202) 225-4315 – FAX: (202) 225-8440 Mike Fitzpatrick (PA) (202) 225-4276 – FAX: (202) 225-9511 Mike Castle, DE (202) 225-4165 – FAX: (202) 225-2291 Wayne Gilchrest, MD (202) 225-5311 – FAX: (202) 225-0254 Bob Inglis, SC (202) 225-6030 – FAX: (202) 226-1177 Mark Kirk, IL (202) 225- 4835 – FAX: (202) 225-0837 Tim Johnson, IL (202) 225-2371 – FAX: (202) 226-0791 Jim Leach, IA (202) 225-6576 – FAX: (202) 226-1278 Tom Petri ,WI (202) 225-2476 – FAX: (202) 225-2356 Jim Sensenbrenner, WI -- (202) 225-5101 – FAX: (202) 225-3190 Vernon Ehlers, MI (202) 225-3831 – FAX: (202) 225-5144 Joe Schwartz, MI (202) 225-6276 – FAX: (202) 225-6281 Jim Ramstad, MN (202) 225-2871 – FAX: (202) 225-6351 Mark Kennedy, MN (202) 225-2331 – FAX: (202) 225-6475 Dave Reichert, WA (202) 225-5441 -- FAX: (202) 225-3289. Mark Foley, FL (202) 225-5792 – FAX: (202) 225-3132 Katherine Harris, FL (202) 225-5015 – FAX: (202) 226-0828 Connie Mack, FL (202) 225-2536 – FAX: (202) 225-6820 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, FL (202) 225-3931 – FAX: (202) 225-5620 Clay Shaw, FL (202) 225-3026 – FAX: (202) 225-8398 Bill Young, FL (202) 225-5961 – FAX: (202) 225-9764 Roscoe Bartlett, MD (202) 225-2721 – FAX: (202) 225-2193 Walter Jones, NC (202) 225-3415 – FAX: (202) 225-3286 Steven LaTourette, OH (202) 225-5731 – FAX: (202) 225-3307 Bob Ney, OH (202) 225-6265 – FAX: (202) 225-3394 Heather Wilson, NM (202) 225-6316 – FAX: (202) 225-4975 Also, Chairmen Richard Pombo (CA-11) and Joe Barton (TX-6) especially need to get positive calls for their courage and determination. And the House leadership, especially Speaker Denny Hastert (IL-14), need to hear from people all over the country demanding ANWR/OCS provisions to increase America’s energy supplies. You can call them all at (202) 225-3121. Background: Some energy facts you should know: XXXXX - The Clinton Administration published a report, "The Environmental Benefits of Advanced Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Technologies", which proved we can recover oil and gas safely in the most sensitive environments. You can read it at: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/issues/emr/anwr/perspectives.htm XXXXX - The amount of oil in ANWR is equal to up to 30 years of imports from Saudi Arabia. XXXXX - Oil exploration in ANWR would use only 2,000 of the refuge's 19.5 million acres. XXXXX - Congress originally set aside this land for future oil and gas production when it created the refuge. XXXXX - Areas in the outer continental shelf, more than 150 miles from land, hold abundant quantities of natural gas and oil in very deep water, sufficient enough to dramatically reduce home heating bills across the country. XXXXX - Even during the massive destruction of oil platforms during hurricanes Katrina and Rita, there wasn't a single oil spill from these ultra-safe facilities. Please forward this message as widely as possible. Thank you. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Here is an important article from today’s Energy and Environment Newsletter. ANWR Stevens turns to House Dems to keep Arctic drilling alive Ben Geman, E&E Daily senior reporter Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has turned his full attention to House Democrats in an effort to keep alive prospects for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling through the budget reconciliation process, according to House Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Blunt told reporters yesterday he has in recent days spoken with Stevens about his plan to gain House Democratic support for drilling. While included in Senate spending cut legislation, ANWR was jettisoned in the House last month amid revolt over the issue by anti-drilling GOP moderates, signaling a major setback for drilling advocates. A few dozen House Democrats support ANWR drilling, but the minority party has stuck together over the last month in decisive budget votes on the House floor. That allowed the GOP moderates extra leverage to force ANWR's removal, but Blunt said Stevens has not given up on winning back some Democrats. If successful, Steven's plan could pave the way for Arctic drilling language appearing in a House-Senate budget reconciliation conference report. "He has discussed his plan with me, and I would be pleased to see it result in some House Democrats who would like to vote for deficit reduction including ANWR," Blunt said, who avoided providing details. "He explained his plan to me, but I think he could probably explain it better to you than I can." Asked if he was lending active support, Blunt said, "He didn't ask me to help him with his plan. He just told me what his plan was and that he would be talking to Democrats. Anybody that can find a way to talk to Democrats to help us get this work done, I am always glad to work with them." A spokeswoman for Stevens said Alaska's senior senator will work toward opening ANWR through the reconciliation process but did not comment specifically on the idea of courting House Democrats on the issue. "He is working very hard to get passage of the bill with ANWR included," spokeswoman Courtney Boone said. The Senate is out of session until next week. GOP members have attacked fiscally conservative Democrats for sticking with their party on the spending cut package. Also, Blunt last month attacked pro-drilling Democrats for staying with their leaders rather than supporting a package with ANWR. In April, 30 House Democrats voted against an amendment to strip ANWR from the House energy bill. Brian Moore, legislative director of the Alaska Wilderness League, praised Democrats for staying with party leaders on the budget bill. "House Democrats under Leader [Nancy] Pelosi (D-Calif.) showed great unity in having 100 percent of their caucus vote with them on the reconciliation and the resolution," Moore said. "I am glad that they were able to have unity the last two times the budget has come up, and I hope they continue that." Yet Blunt warned Democratic votes on energy issues could come back to hurt them, though he did not address ANWR specifically in his statement on the issue. "You can't have people from significant oil and gas areas voting against measures, like refinery reform measures, that they have always voted for," he said. "You can't have them doing that without having some price ultimately paid." Please don’t forget to forward this message to as many people as possible. 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