Don Young: “I always listen to these well- written arguments by the Sierra Club and others that like to take this Nation to its…”

“I always listen to these well- written arguments by the Sierra Club and others that like to take this Nation to its knees, which is a reality. We talk about the petroleum reserve set-aside. It was a reserve set aside for use by this Nation. And they are drilling. They are drilling today. ConocoPhillips is going in. Ironically, for some reason, the sales that were put up by this administration are not where they wanted to drill. I have an old saying--and people laugh at me when I say it: you don't hunt rabbits on a pool table just because it is green. All right. You don't drill oil if it is not there. Ironically, this administration, bless their hearts, put up sales where there was nothing there. It was like the pool table. So why would the oil company drill? They can't and will not. And I always ask them: Why don't you ask the oil companies where they would like to drill? We can't do that because someone has asked us to preserve that great area. The other area is just as pretty, but it doesn't have any oil. This is an attempt to take 18 billion barrels of oil away from the American people and an attempt by special interest groups to make sure this country cannot grow. Oil will be here forever. Let's keep it. Let's oppose this amendment. It is mischievous. It is wrong for this Nation. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman).…”