WASHINGTON, DC, May 25, 2006 -- The House of Representatives today passed, by a vote of 201-225, HR 5429, a bill that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling.
“Even this bill’s sponsors acknowledged that today’s vote was largely a political stunt, intended to give the impression that Congress was responding to rising energy costs. The American people won't be fooled -- they know we cannot drill our way to lower gas prices.”
“The Energy Department’s own figures show that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge wouldn’t bring down the price of gas by more than about a penny a gallon, 20 years from now. The only real solution to high gasoline costs plaguing families are making cars go farther on a gallon of gas, greater energy efficiency and more renewable energy sources.”
“If Congress were serious about doing something on energy issues, then they’d be focusing on efficiency, conservation and renewable fuels, rather than trotting out the same dead-end drilling plan again. Drilling in the pristine Arctic Refuge will do nothing to lower our prices at the pump. With less than 3% of world’s oil supply, but 25% of the world’s oil consumption, we must look to new solutions.”
“The bottom line is that there are some places that should be off-limits to oil drilling and industrial development, and the Arctic Refuge is one of them. The harm to polar bears, caribou, millions of migratory birds, and to the subsistence way of life of the Gwich’in people would be permanent and irreparable. We have a moral responsibility to save wild places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations. That’s why our country has remained committed to its protection for nearly 50 years.”
“Clean renewable energy sources and making our cars go farther on a gallon of gas are the best ways to reduce consumers’ costs now and in the future. They are the fastest, cheapest, cleanest way to reduce families’ energy costs, increase energy security, end our dangerous oil addiction, and reduce global climate change. Instead of wasting time on dead-end drilling in a National Wildlife Refuge, Congress should be focusing on things that would make a real difference.”
