Barbara Boxer: “the Senator from New Mexico spoke with tremendous conviction about why he wants to drill in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge.…”

“the Senator from New Mexico spoke with tremendous conviction about why he wants to drill in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge. He said he had no hard feelings for those people who felt differently, but he said a number of things that deserve to be rebutted, and I am going to do that. I certainly believe that whether one has an area that looks like this--and my colleagues said this is not a photograph of the area that would be drilled, but they are completely incorrect. This has been mapped. We have exactly where this is on the back of the photograph. It is right in the heart of the refuge. We had this picture last year, which then-Senator Frank Murkowski said was not taken in the refuge area. We had the head of Fish and Wildlife in Alaska phone in, irate, and essentially say, yes, this is exactly where they want to drill, where the caribou are roaming. So let's get that right. I am not going to stand up in front of pictures that do not apply to make my case. That is ridiculous. I would not do that. That is wrong. It is not a fair way to debate. I want to debate on the merit. I also have never, ever said in this debate--and I spoke last night, as well as this morning--that people on the other side are doing this because they get campaign contributions from oil and gas companies and other economic interests. I will not do that. I have more respect than that.…”