Senate committee to approve Arctic reserve drilling bill by May News
Senate committee to approve Arctic reserve drilling bill by May

[JURIST] The US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee [official website] says it will approve legislation by mid-May to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) [official website, JURIST news archive] to oil drilling [pro-drilling backgrounder]. The statement comes in response to a budget bill [text] passed last week in the Senate which requires the committee to come up with legislation that will raise $6 billion over 10 years in leasing fees from oil companies permitted to drill in ANWR. Republicans are advancing their drilling plan through the budget bill because that cannot be filibustered under Senate rules. Senate Democrats did not have enough votes to amend the bill to stop the drilling proposal. The House of Representatives has yet to vote on its budget legislation.

In December, Senators rejected an ANWR drilling provision [JURIST report] added to the 2006 military spending bill, with leading Democrats saying the provisions violated Senate rules because they were not germane to the spending bill. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.