ANWR

Well, it's all but over:

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to allow oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, barely rejecting a Democratic-led attempt to strike the controversial plan from a budget bill.

Drilling supporters said developing the refuge's 10.4 billion barrels of crude would raise $2.4 billion in leasing fees for the government, reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil imports and create thousands of American jobs.

However, opponents said there was not enough oil in the refuge to lower gasoline prices significantly, and what crude is there would not get to the market for at least a decade. They also warned drilling would threaten ANWR's wildlife, which incudes migratory birds, polar bears and caribou.

The Senate voted 48 (yes) to 51 (no) on an amendment to remove the ANWR provision from the budget bill.

Via the Oil Drum, go to this site to see Subhankar Banerjee's magnificent Picture Gallery to get a sense of what's at risk.

All for, at best, a few months oil supply and merely forestalling the inevitable need for alternative energy sources.

Shameful.