Congressional Democrats and environmentalists are preparing for a legislative and legal fight against oil and natural gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge after Congress this week approved drilling there for the first time in decades. * Lease sales included in tax bill * Midterm elections could reverse “The new phase of this fight has begun,” Adam Kolton, a senior director with the Alaska Wilderness League, said Wednesday. “It’s a disgrace, it’s an abomination and we are going to fight it,” Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat, said during a call with reporters. On Tuesday, the House and Senate approved a $1.5 trillion tax reform package that includes a provision requiring the US Interior Department to hold at least two lease sales in the Coastal Plain of ANWR, offering a minimum of 400,000 acres each within 10 years. The House made technical fixes to the legislation Wednesday and […]