The U.S. Senate narrowly voted Wednesday to allow oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In a vote that came down to the wire, President George W. Bush's Republican Party prevailed by a 51-49 tally in turning back an amendment to the 2006 proposed budget that would have blocked the drilling. The amendment's defeat, therefore, protected a provision in the budget resolution to allow the drilling. The vote was a major victory for Bush, an ardent supporter of oil exploration in the wildlife refuge. Republican leaders knew they did not have sufficient votes to pass the legislation on its own and drew the ire of opposition Democrats by making it part of the budget resolution instead. Although the language allowing drilling in the refuge cleared a major hurdle Wednesday, the entire budget might not pass, which would send Republican leaders back to the drawing board to determine how the oil-drilling provision could win approval. --MORE 2353 Local Time 2053 GMT
