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WASHINGTON — As the next chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Jeff Bingaman is being careful not to make too many promises about what bills will pass next year, but the Silver City Democrat is certain they will not approve drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"I don't think there's a serious prospect that they're going to be able to pass legislation to open ANWR with a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate," said Bingaman.

The oil lobby agrees.

"It will be a very difficult issue to get passed," said Mark Kibbe, senior policy analyst for the American Petroleum Institute.

Sen. Pete Domenici, the Albuquerque Republican who currently chairs the Energy Committee, tried to pass ANWR legislation in 2005 but this year focused on a bill, still pending, to expand drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Environmental groups say they will remain vigilant on ANWR but they're warming up to the chance to play offense for a change.

"We're hopeful on a number of fronts," said Adam Kolton, director of congressional affairs for the National Wildlife Federation.

"Sen. Bingaman has been a leader in clean energy solutions and global warming," Kolton said. "During the energy bill, he pushed a renewable energy standard (for utilities) through the Senate. We're looking for him to move that once again."

Environmental groups also are hoping the new Congress will mean new wilderness areas and more restrictions on development, mining and logging on government land.

They took notice when Domenici made a post-election switch to pass election legislation to protect the Valle Vidal in New Mexico from oil and gas drilling.

"Valle Vidal marks a kind of a changing of the guard and a new effort to restore a balanced approach to our public lands. This is a place that a lot of people care passionately about, not just in New Mexico, but across the West," said Kolton.

Bingaman has been careful not to lay out a detailed agenda.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, the California Democrat who will head the Environment and Public Works Committee, has already announced she plans to hold hearings on climate change, but Bingaman is planning to consult with Domenici on hearing topics next week.

Bingaman is acutely mindful that Democrats hold only a 51-49 majority in the Senate, where it takes 60 votes to stop a filibuster and 67 votes to overcome a presidential veto.

"There is a danger that people will be expecting much more in the way of change when you've got a Democratic majority in the House and Senate than in fact we're able to bring about," Bingaman said.

Bingaman said it won't matter what committee produces a climate change bill if they can't win Republican support or overcome the opposition of the Bush administration to mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

"I hope they agree to work with Congress to come up with a reasonable set of controls (on greenhouse gas emissions)," said Bingaman.

Ask Bingaman about raising fuel economy standards or taxes or Medicare prescription drugs or even the war in Iraq and he'll return to the same theme: solutions will require Republicans and Democrats working together.

"It may make people feel good to be right on an issue and be able to champion something where they know they're right. But I'd be much more interested in trying to get something done," Bingaman said.