McCain Voted To Pave The Way For Oil Drilling In The Artic Wildlife National Refuge. In 2006, McCain voted for the creation of a reserve fund to collect receipts from lease sales in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and direct $150 million a year from the fund for five years to pay for programs under the Energy Policy Act. This proposal paves the way for drilling approval in ANWR drilling. [1]