Rep. Charlie Bass led two dozen House Republicans yesterday in stripping from the federal budget a plan to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"Iconveyed the moderate Republicans' concerns with this provision to the leadership, that message was heard, and this damaging language has been stripped from the bill,"Bass said in a written statement last night.

Bass wrote a letter, signed by 24 other Republicans and sent to House leaders, opposing the drilling on environmental grounds. The signers also didn't think the proposal belonged in a budget bill.

Bass submitted his letter on Tuesday to the House speaker, majority leader and Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier. Late last night, House Republican leaders agreed to remove the drilling plan.

Last Thursday, the Senate passed a separate budget bill that allowed for drilling in the refuge and was sponsored by New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Gregg and Senator John Sununu opposed an amendment to remove the drilling provision that failed 51 votes to 48 votes.

Supporters say oil taken from the refuge will reduce costs at the gas pumps, and they predict $2.5 billion in additional oil revenue. But critics of the plan say drilling in a national wildlife refuge is unprecedented. They also question the economics of the Alaskan drilling proposal, saying that the projected revenue is uncertain and consumer impact would be negligible.

Bass's letter was signed by members of the Tuesday Group, an organization of moderate House Republicans, and other House members, including New Hampshire Rep. Jeb Bradley. Bradley submitted a separate letter with 23 Republican supporters to the House Resources Committee in August urging members not to put the Arctic drilling into their budget.

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By CHELSEA CONABOY

Monitor staff