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Washington, Sep 10 -

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the problem of sky-rocketing gas prices.  When a single mom in Orlando, FL pays $80 to fill up her minivan, we have a crisis. 

I’ve recently returned from Alaska, where I toured our nation’s largest oil reserves.  I also visited the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, FL, where I saw emerging renewable energy technologies.

The straight talk is we need a comprehensive approach to this energy crisis which includes more drilling, more renewable energy, and more conservation.
 
Specifically, we should drill for oil in Alaska, and off-shore.  We should invest in renewable energy sources, like solar and wind.  We should improve our conservation efforts, with more hybrids and higher fuel efficiency standards.  We need an “all of the above” energy plan. 

That’s why I’m a co-sponsor of the American Energy Act legislation.  The American people deserve to have an “up or down” vote on the American Energy Act.
 
Some Democratic leaders oppose an “up or down” vote because of drilling.  The critics of drilling ignore the law of supply and demand.  Specifically, the primary component of the cost of gasoline is crude oil.  Crude oil is a “commodity,” whose price is governed by the law of supply and demand.  We must therefore increase our supply, and reduce our demand.
 
Where is the largest source of untapped crude oil in the United States?  It’s in an area of Alaska, called the “10-02” section of ANWR.
 
Now, the critics of ANWR drilling make 3 arguments.  First, they say there’s only a “trivial” amount of oil there.  Second, they claim it will destroy the “pristine wilderness.”  And third, they argue it will “hurt the wildlife,” particularly caribou and polar bears.
 
I just went on a “fact finding” trip to Alaska because I too wanted to get the answers to those 3 questions, and I’ll squarely address all three.
 
First, is there a “trivial” amount of oil in ANWR.  Well, there are 10.4 billion barrels of oil in the 10-02 section of ANWR, according to the US Dept of Interior and US Geological Survey.  10.4 billion barrels is the single largest source of untapped crude oil in the United States.
 
How much is 10.4 billion barrels of oil?  10.4 billion barrels of oil is enough oil to provide for all of my home state of Florida’s energy needs for the next 29 years.
 
10.4 billion barrels equals 1 million barrels of oil a day, every single day, for the next 30 years.  Does that sound like a “trivial” amount of oil to you?
 
The second issue is whether the drilling will take place in a “pristine wilderness” area.  I personally visited the area where drilling would take place in ANWR.  It was 30 degrees in the middle of August, and is 30 degree below zero in the winter.  As I looked out over the flat, baron tundra, Mr. Felton Rexford, the elected leader of the local Eskimo tribe, explained that there wasn’t a single tree within 100 miles of the proposed drilling area!  Not a tree within a hundred miles.  It looked more like the surface of the moon, not some rainforest-style wilderness.
 
ANWR is the size of South Carolina, approximately 19 million acres.  The drilling would be limited to a 2,000 acre area, that is a flat, baron tundra.  That means 99.99% of ANWR would be off-limits to drilling.  To put that in perspective, the drilling area would be the size of a postage stamp on a football field.
 
The third issue is whether drilling would hurt wildlife, particularly caribou and polar bears.  There are 800,000 caribou and 5,000 polar bears in Alaska.  I saw both on my trip.  The number of caribou and polar bears have increased every year over the past 3 decades.
 
For example, next door to ANWR is Prudhoe Bay, the largest existing oil field in the United States.  Twelve billion barrels of oil have already been extracted from Prudhoe Bay, and there are 3 billion barrels remaining there.  Prudhoe Bay is on state land, not federal, and that’s why drilling is allowed there.  When we started drilling in Prudhoe Bay in the mid-70s, there were 3,000 caribou in the area.  They’ve since increased 10 fold and there are now 30,000 caribou in the Prudhoe Bay area.  I’ve seen them myself.  The independent experts from the US Fish and Wildlife say the drilling has had no harmful impact on either caribou or polar bears.
 
In short, the 3 objections of ANWR critics are without merit.  There is a large amount of oil.  There will be no harm to any so-called “pristine wilderness.”  And the wildlife can peacefully coexist and even thrive.
 
So what’s their real objection?  According to Carl Pope, Executive Director of Sierra Club, “We’re better off without cheap gas.”  We’re better off without cheap gas!
 
Do you feel better off with $4 a gallon gas?
 
Tell the single mom who just paid $80 to fill up her minivan that she’s “better off without cheap gas.”
 
Tell the thousands of airline workers who just lost their jobs that “they’re better off without cheap gas.”
 
Tell the small business employees who just got laid off that their families are now “better off without cheap gas.”
 
Tell the public school superintendent who was forced to switch to a 4 day week that our school children are “better off without cheap gas.”
 
Mr. Speaker, our people are hurting.  We demand that you put the needs of ordinary Americans above the desires of radical environmental fringe groups.  For goodness sake, give the American people an “up or down” vote on the American Energy Act right now, this September, before this Democratic Congress takes yet another vacation without taking care of business.