Article snippet: The final version of the Republican tax bill, which passed in Congress midday Wednesday, included a major blow to environmentalists. In addition to slashing the corporate tax rate and nixing the mandate that Americans have health insurance, the tax legislation contained language requiring the federal government to open up and lease part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to private companies for oil and gas drilling. That portion of the bill was sponsored by Sen. Congressional Budget Office projects the federal government could make about $1 billion from leases and sales in the area over the next decade, as would Alaska, which splits the profits with the federal government, according to the legislation. Her Democratic counterpart on price of oil and interest from developers has been relatively low. “While they may have had the votes last night to pass this legislation, they certainly don’t have the consciousness of America,” Cantwell said on a call with reporters Wednesday. “We are going to take our case to the American public now,” Cantwell went on, vowing to fight the law in court, future legislation, and elections down the road. “As one of the key truly, truly unique wild places left on the planet it makes no sense for the United States of America to abdicate their environmental stewardship,” Cantwell said. The 19.6-million-acre refuge is currently the home and breeding ground for hundreds of thousands of caribou, some of the largest population... Link to the full article to read more