March 7, 2002

(Washington, D.C.) – The Teamsters were joined by Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), Rick Santorum (PA) and Frank Murkowski (AK), today at their international headquarters to remind Senate members that a vote for ANWR is a vote for jobs and opportunity for all Americans. The Senate is considering passage of President Bush’s national energy plan, which includes provisions for energy exploration in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

“Today, I would like to inject a dose of reality into the debate over ANWR,” said Tom Keegel, Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer. “Sixty-two percent of Americans believe our nation has grown too dependent on foreign oil, and exploring for oil in ANWR would reduce that dependency. It makes sense that we should explore for energy resources not only where the majority of Americans support exploration but the majority of native Alaskans support it too.”

Senate debate on ANWR began yesterday and is expected to be challenging, however, the Teamsters expect to win the fight. A coalition of labor, federal, business and individual environmentalists support ANWR exploration. The Teamsters have lead the fight in the Senate to bring President Bush’s House-passed energy plan to the floor for a fair up or down vote.

The Teamsters support responsible energy exploration of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because ANWR provides a safe alternative to the millions of gallons of oil currently imported from the Middle East. The union will also fight any attempts to weaken ANWR through amendments or cloture votes as those provisions are false choices for members.

“Since the energy crisis of the 1970’s, America’s energy use has grown twice as fast as domestic energy production, said Jerry Hood, Teamsters Special Assistant on Energy Policy. “It makes sense that America takes every step possible to reduce our energy dependence in an environmentally sensitive and productive way. ANWR is the way.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the U.S. and Canada.