• Leasing postponed in Arctic breeding ground
• NRDC stops lease sale of Teshekpuk Lake wetlands
• Senate blocks oil drilling in Arctic Refuge
• Senate rejects oil drilling
• Birthing ground saved from oil drilling

After prevailing in a dramatic congressional showdown in December 2005, BioGems Defenders again helped keep America's greatest birthing ground for Arctic wildlife free of oil rigs in 2006. While the Senate approved a budget bill opening the door to drilling, pressure from BioGems Defenders helped persuade the House of Representatives to keep a drilling provision out of its version of the bill. In the end, the House and Senate failed to pass a budget reconciliation bill, thus quashing the drilling measure. At the same time, the likelihood of a Senate filibuster deterred drilling proponents from attempting to advance other legislation that would industrialize the refuge.