Statement of Representative Pete Stark In Opposition to Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Mr. Speaker, even President Bush admits that this country's addiction to oil is a crisis, but, like a desperate junkie, the Republican Congress is frantically trying one more time to squeeze every last drop out of our pristine wilderness. Mr. Pombo's bill - which won't have any meaningful impact on oil prices and which has no chance of passing the Senate - is a tragic reminder that the Republican Majority has lost the will to seriously govern this country. Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is Republicans' reflex to high gas prices in the same way that banning gay marriage is their reflex to a disgruntled conservative base and tax cuts are their reflex to sagging poll numbers. In the 11 years Republicans have worked to open ANWR, they could have instead begun to wean America off its dependence on unsustainable energy sources.

The Bush Administration's own studies show that any oil derived from ANWR would amount to about 3.9 billion barrels of economically recoverable oil -- a six-month supply for the U.S. Once drilling has violated the area, however, the natural habitat that once existed will be permanently ruined.

ANWR is the largest undeveloped wilderness left in our country. This 19 million acre coastal plain has been called “America's Serengeti” because of its abundance of caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, snow geese, 135 species of migratory birds, eagles, wolves, sheep, and musk oxen. To destroy this natural treasure for six months of oil would be unconscionable.

I urge my colleagues to reject this sham once and for all so that after 11 years of lost time, we can finally get serious about renewable energy.