This sinks us.

Environmental Activist

''The AFL-CIO has long supported the development of appropriate energy sources to meet the needs of the nation and the concerns of consumers, as long as the environment is protected,'' wrote William Samuel, director of the union's department of legislation, in a letter to House members. ''At our 1993 convention, delegates adopted a resolution that, in part, called on the country to `explore the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge for oil with safeguards to protect the environment.' The entire policy ... remains in effect.''

The Teamsters Union and building and seafarers unions had vocally supported the Arctic drilling provision previously, but the AFL-CIO had remained neutral. The Service Employees International Union opposes opening the section to drilling. Ordinarily, the AFL-CIO takes no position when member unions do not agree.

The House is expected to start considering the plan today, with the effort to remove the Arctic drilling provision as one of two highly contentious issues.

The AFL-CIO also supported the GOP plan on the other flashpoint issue, how much to raise federal fuel efficiency standards for automobiles.

''Because of their discriminatory impact on domestic production, such proposals could have a serious, negative effect on US production and employment,'' Samuel wrote.

Addressing the oil drilling proposal, Representative James V. Hansen, Republican of Utah and chairman of the House Resources committee, said, ''This endorsement just underscores what we have been saying all along: This energy bill is good for American workers, it's good for American jobs, it's good for America's economy.''

Ken Lisaius, White House spokesman, said the proposal ''shows that the president's energy plan is not about partisan politics, but about the future of our country.''

The Teamsters had for several days been quietly saying that they had 40 Democratic votes in favor of drilling, which could be enough to offset expected losses among moderate Republicans.

''This sinks us,'' one environmental activist said.

Phil Clapp of the National Environmental Trust said: ''This administration may very well have just outsmarted itself. I seriously doubt you can pass in the House a bill that opens the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling and does nothing about fuel efficiency standards. If you do both of those things and it's an unvarnished version of the Bush energy plan, you are very likely to have a coalition of House moderate Republicans and Democrats voting against passing the bill.''

© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company

###