[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 24, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H4436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ANWR TECHNOLOGY III

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, opponents of ANWR often hold up a picture 
of big, grimy, old oil rigs; and they ask this question: Do we want one 
of these on our precious wildlife refuges? Of course not, but that is 
the wrong question. The question should be: Can modern technology allow 
us to drill in the Arctic with absolutely no impact on the wildlife or 
plant life there? The answer is a resounding yes.
  Cutting-edge technology, like horizontal drilling, allows us to reach 
oil 4 miles away from a surface location. Thirty years ago, it took a 
65-acre drill site to slant drill only 3 square miles. Today, a 16-acre 
drill site can now drill 50 square miles of subsurface. That means that 
today we can drill 15 times further on a drill site one-fifth the size 
of what we used when we started developing oil in the Arctic.
  We no longer build gravel roads in for oil development there. 
Instead, companies build ice roads that melt away with spring, leaving 
no hint that they were ever there. Let us use this amazing technology 
to help stabilize gasoline prices and make this country more self-
reliant.

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