Pete Domenici: “I want to respond to one of the issues raised by pointing to the map here. I have conferred with the Senator from Alaska…”

“I want to respond to one of the issues raised by pointing to the map here. I have conferred with the Senator from Alaska and others about this Coastal Plain. If you see, it is in green and you see these words, it says: Not wilderness. Creation of the coastal plain oil and gas exploration area. This little box is within that, 20 acres. It is not within a wilderness area. It is not a wilderness. It was established by President Eisenhower, and contrary to what was said on the floor, it was done that way for the very reason it was thought to have an abundance of natural resources; to wit, oil and gas. Therefore, it was set aside for an exploration area, the future use of which was to be determined by the Congress. Isn't that interesting? Contrary to what has been said, we are doing exactly what President Eisenhower's set-aside intended. It intended it to be an oil and gas exploration area, for that purpose, to be determined in the future. By whom? Us. The very thing we are doing here. My last observation: For anybody in the United States who is worried about America and its natural gas future, its natural gas price that is going through the roof, that this particular winter Americans are going to be terribly upset when the price goes up dramatically, with gasoline at the pump so high. It was a month ago that Americans were beginning to worry about their future.…”