Washington, D.C. ? Opponents of oil drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge are going on the offense after playing defense for a quarter of a century. They want the new Democratic Congress to make an oft-challenged drilling ban permanent.

Legislation introduced Friday in the House would make the oil-rich 1.2 million-acre coastal strip of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a permanently protected wilderness and end repeated efforts to open the area east of the Prudhoe oil field to energy companies.

However, the House has approved drilling in the refuge a half dozen times, only to see the effort die in the Senate where supporters couldn’t muster the 60 votes to overcome a likely filibuster.

President Bush, who called for opening the refuge during his 2000 presidential campaign, repeatedly has said its environment can be protected alongside oil rigs. He views the refuge’s oil as essential to lessening America’s dependence on foreign energy sources.