WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted 52-47 Thursday evening for a budget bill that includes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"I think today's accomplishment is a big one for Alaskans, but it's a huge one for the country," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Thursday after a midday vote on an amendment to delete ANWR from the bill. The Senate defeated the amendment by an even closer margin, 51-48.

Both of Thursday's votes split largely along party lines.

"Today the Senate caved in to oil and gas companies that are rolling in record profits," said Karen Wayland, legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the environmental groups fighting the drilling measure.

Murkowski recited the arguments in favor of ANWR drilling: more American jobs, less dependence on foreign oil and a commitment to protect the Arctic environment.

Sen. Ted Stevens noted that the bill still has hurdles to clear. The House has to pass its version of the bill, and then a conference committee must resolve the differences between the two. Both chambers must then vote on the final bill before it goes to the president for his signature.

The House could pass its version of the legislation next week. That bill, which also has a section that would allow drilling in ANWR, cleared the House Budget Committee Thursday.

Brian Moore, legislative director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said the ANWR vote did not surprise or worry him. ANWR will sink the budget reconciliation bill in the House, he predicted.

"I'm confident, 100 percent, that in the end we're going to prevail," he said. The House has repeatedly passed bills in recent years that would open the refuge to drilling, but they were energy bills.

"It's a different vote on the budget," said Moore.

When you count the Republican moderates who oppose drilling in ANWR and add all the other Republicans who oppose various cuts, you get enough House votes to stop the bill, Moore said. The Republicans can afford to lose only 13 of their House members and still pass their budget bill, assuming the Democrats unite against it.

This summer, two dozen Republican House members sent their leaders a letter saying they didn't think it was appropriate to decide an important environmental issue in a budget bill. But Alaska senators needed ANWR to pass on this special type of legislation. Unlike a regular bill, a budget reconciliation bill can't be filibustered, so supporters need only 51 votes to get it through the Senate, rather than 60.

ANWR aside, there are big differences between the House and Senate bills, mostly over what to programs to cut and how deeply.

The Senate bill would make about $36 billion in cuts over five years. They include cuts to student loan programs, to Medicare and to Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor.

The House bill makes deeper cuts in the growth of federal programs -- $54 billion over five years. It spares Medicare, the insurance program for the elderly, but would slice more from Medicaid and cut $844 million from food stamps by tightening eligibility rules.

Critics say it leans too heavily on the poor, while a companion bill to cut $70 billion in taxes will help the rich.

Republican leaders say the budget package is important to reduce deficits. The tax cuts, which have yet to pass, will help the economy, they say.

Illustrating the dilemma that House and Senate negotiators may face later, Sen. Pete Domenici said Senate proponents of drilling will accept elements from the House bill -- to a point.

"We want to do whatever we can to accommodate everything the House wants, but we can't jeopardize passage of this (bill) when it comes back here," he told reporters outside the Senate chamber.

Most of the Senate's Republicans voted for the budget measure Thursday, but five voted against it: Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and Mike DeWine of Ohio. Those five also voted to strike the ANWR amendment, as did Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Gordon Smith of Oregon.

The Senate also passed an amendment 83-16 that bans the export of ANWR oil. Stevens said he doesn't believe it's right to have an export ban that applies to just one state, but he said it helps overcome some of the opposition in the House.

As a practical matter, it may not matter much. Alaskan oil can be exported now, but instead it goes to Lower 48 refineries.

Jerry Hood, a lobbyist for the pro-drilling group Arctic Power, said Thursday's vote was important but just one more step in the process. He was hunkered down in Arctic Power's Capitol Hill office Thursday afternoon, concentrating on the projected vote count in the House.

Daily News reporter Liz Ruskin can be reached at lruskin@adn.com.

How they voted

Ayes (52)

Alexander, R-Tenn.; Allard, R-Colo.; Allen, R-Va.; Bennett, R-Utah; Bond, R-Mo.; Brownback, R-Kan.; Bunning, R-Ky.; Burns, R-Mont.; Burr, R-N.C.; Chambliss, R-Ga.; Coburn, R-Okla.; Cochran, R-Miss.; Cornyn, R-Texas; Craig, R-Idaho; Crapo, R-Idaho; DeMint, R-S.C.; Dole, R-N.C.; Domenici, R-N.M.; Ensign, R-Nev.; Enzi, R-Wyo.; Frist, R-Tenn.; Graham, R-S.C.; Grassley, R-Iowa.; Gregg, R-N.H.; Hagel, R-Neb.; Hatch, R-Utah; Hutchison, R-Texas; Inhofe, R-Okla.; Isakson, R-Ga.; Kyl, R-Ariz.; Landrieu, D-La.; Lott, R-Miss.; Lugar, R-Ind.; Martinez, R-Fla.; McCain, R-Ariz.; McConnell, R-Ky.; Murkowski, R-Alaska; Nelson, D-Neb.; Roberts, R-Kan.; Santorum, R-Penn.; Sessions, R-Ala.; Shelby, R-Ala.; Smith, R-Ore.; Specter, R-Penn.; Stevens, R-Alaska; Sununu, R-N.H.; Talent, R-Mo.; Thomas, R-Wyo.; Thune, R-S.D.; Vitter, R-La.; Voinovich, R-Ohio; and Warner, R-Va.

Nays (47)

Akaka, D-Hawaii; Baucus, D-Mont.; Bayh, D-Ind.; Biden, D-Del.; Bingaman, D-N.M.; Boxer, D-Calif.; Byrd, D-W.V.; Cantwell, D-Wash.; Carper, D-Del.; Chafee, R-R.I.; Clinton, D-N.Y.; Coleman, R-Minn.; Collins, R-Maine; Conrad, D-N.D.; Dayton, D-Minn.; DeWine, R-Ohio; Dodd, D-Conn.; Dorgan, D-N.D.; Durbin, D-Ill.; Feingold, D-Wis.; Feinstein, D-Calif.; Harkin, D-Iowa; Inouye, D-Hawaii; Jeffords, I-Vt.; Johnson, D-S.D.; Kennedy, D-Mass.; Kerry, D-Mass.; Kohl, D-Wis.; Lautenberg, D-N.J.; Leahy, D-Vt.; Levin, D-Mich.; Lieberman, D-Conn.; Lincoln, D-Ark.; Mikulski, D-Md.; Murray, D-Wash.; Nelson, D-Fla.; Obama, D-Ill.; Pryor, D-Ark.; Reed, D-R.I.; Reid, D-Nev.; Rockefeller, D-W.V.; Salazar, D-Colo.; Sarbanes, D-Md.; Schumer, D-N.Y.; Snowe, R-Maine; Stabenow, D-Mich.; and Wyden, D-Ore.

Not voting (1)