[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 82 (Tuesday, June 15, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H3968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            DRILLING IN ANWR

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, energy and independence should be a goal of 
this Congress. Worldwide demand for petroleum has increased in the last 
decade. The growth in production has been relatively flat. The 
inevitable result is in higher prices at the gasoline pump. This 
reality is that it takes time to go from an oil field to the gasoline 
station, and we have lost a considerable amount of time.
  In 1995, the 104th Congress passed H.R. 2491, which would have 
allowed oil exploration in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. The 
Department of Energy has estimated that between 1 and 1.3 million 
barrels of oil a day could be derived from this source.
  Unfortunately, this legislation was vetoed by President Clinton, and 
that was nearly 10 years ago. Given a time line of 7 to 14 years for 
building a pipeline structure, it is time we could scarcely afford to 
waste.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been to ANWR. The vast coastal plain is 
unsuitable for habitation during the summer months because of the 
marshy consistency of that plain. Any caribou unlucky enough to calve 
in this region would likely die from exsanguination at the hands of 
mosquitoes there.
  The people who live in ANWR are counting on this Congress to do the 
right thing and allow them, the rightful owners of these mineral 
rights, to begin developing resources.

                          ____________________