Matteo Renzi: “I was fortunate this weekend to visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, with the gentleman from California (Mr.…”

“I was fortunate this weekend to visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, with the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and several Republican congressmen as well as our Democratic colleague, the gentlewoman from Guam (Mr. Bordallo). We began our visit by visiting the pristine environment in the southern Alaskan town of Valdez. Valdez is located at the southern end of the pipeline where wildlife and sea otters and clean crisp air and the oil shipping business co-exist in harmony. This is not rhetoric from some Congressman who has never set foot on the site. This is firsthand knowledge seen with my own eyes that we can truly balance our energy needs and our desire to protect the environment without disturbing the ecosystem. While in Valdez, we discussed suggested inferences that oil is seeping out of the pipelines and ruining the environment in great volumes. Let me say as a witness on the record that no such claims exist. In fact, if so much as a spoonful of oil or even brake fluid spills, an action report is filed, and there has been no such seepage at this site. We toured the engine rooms and the facilities of the oil transfer stations, and we found the conditions to be spotless and clean.”