By Alabama Public Radio
Washington, DC – Alabama's seven-member delegation in the U.S. House has voted for a measure that will open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. The provision was part of a 453 billion dollar defense spending bill that finally passed this morning. Attaching the Arctic oil drilling provision to the major defense bill convinced some opponents to vote in favor of it. The bill, passed 308-to-106. It also included money for hurricane relief and bird flu preventive measures.