Senate votes down effort to block drilling in Alaska refuge Source: The Hill The Senate on Thursday defeated a Democratic attempt to block oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A group of Democrats, led by Sen. Maria Cantwell (Wash.), offered an amendment to the Senate’s budget resolution looking to prevent potential drilling in the Alaska refuge as a way to raise revenue for the federal government. Most Democrats and environmentalists consider the refuge in northern Alaska to be too environmentally sensitive to allow oil drilling there, a position pushed by Cantwell and others as debate on the budget moved forward this week. “The notion that we, tonight, after 60-plus years, would give up what is a biologically important area, a critical habitat for polar bears, a breeding ground for caribou, migratory birds and over 200 species — for what? For oil we don’t need?” Cantwell said during floor debate late Thursday. -snip- Read more: Senate votes down effort to block drilling in Alaska refuge It was a 52-48 vote, with Joe Manchin voting against this Democratic amendment, and Susan Collins voting for it. Come on for christs sake, Start scorched earth operations with all that oil in a NATIONAL WILDERNESS REFUGE. Trump is destroying this country in so many sneaky ways, trumps overturning Obamas presidental order declaring this area in Alaska a natural refuge...