Politics

Senate Puts Off Energy, Cloning Debates

November 27, 2001 / 1:09 PM EST / CBS/AP

A Republican bid to force speedy Senate action on energy legislation and a proposed moratorium on human cloning fizzled on Monday, probably signaling no action on the two controversial issues until 2002.

"These issues are not going to go away," said Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi, shortly before lawmakers sidetracked them on a pair of procedural votes.

Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., while eager to thwart GOP efforts to dictate the year-end legislative agenda, said the Senate would "consider carefully and dedicate whatever time is necessary" to both issues in the new year.

Even by the Senate's standards, the maneuvering was a Byzantine blend of the parliamentary and political.

Frustrated in their efforts to bring President Bush's proposed energy legislation to a vote — including a call to open acres of Alaska wilderness to oil drilling — Republicans announced plans last week to try to attach it to an unrelated measure dealing with the pensions of railroad retirees.

When a Worcester, Mass., company announced it had cloned human embryos, Lott decided to seek a six-month ban on cloning at the same time.

Under the Senate's rules, 60 votes were required to force the Senate to stick to energy and cloning until the legislation had been approved or defeated. GOP aides who spoke on condition of anonymity said the leadership faced several defections on the vote, so Republicans were unlikely to prevail with most Democrats opposed.

A short while before the roll was called, Lott let it be known he would oppose his own effort. In the end, only one lawmaker, Sen. George Allen, R-Va., supported it.

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Moments later, lawmakers voted 81-15 to choke off debate on the railroad retirement provision. Under the Senate's rules, that foreclosed further action or votes on energy and cloning provisions.

The maneuvering overshadowed deep differences across party lines on the issues of energy policy and human cloning, sentiments expressed briefly during Senate debate.

Democrats argued that opening a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, as Mr. Bush has proposed, would harm one of the world's most pristine environments.

Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., said the result would be an "enormous and irrevocable impact" on the region.

And Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., said that even if it were developed, the area would satisfy only a small amount of the nation's oil needs.

But Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the opposition was a smoke screen created by national environmental groups "for fund raising and membership." He said the organzations had made the same arguments in an unsuccessful attempt to block development of the Prudhoe Bay oil fields more than a quarter-century ago.

"Where would we be today without that particular project?" Murkowski said. "We'd be importing more oil."

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., the chief sponsor of a six-month moratorium on human cloning, said he hoped the Senate would say "time out, let's just think a little bit" before allowing the scientists to proceed.