Darrell Issa: “only on this floor would we debate how the American eagle would feel. I'm astonished that the Democrats have the hubris…”

“only on this floor would we debate how the American eagle would feel. I'm astonished that the Democrats have the hubris to talk in terms of how the American eagle would feel. As a matter of fact, the American eagle and countless thousands of birds and other wildlife have been used as an excuse for a generation for 68 million acres--yes, they are leased, but a lease is in fact not a right to drill. Just because you have a lease doesn't waive any environmental consideration. So beyond the requirement to find out if in fact there is oil on a lease site, you have to go through a myriad of hoops before you can begin drilling. It's one of the reasons that, in fact, offshore drilling has become so popular. Not only are there vast resources out there, but in fact, the fish simply swim away; and in deep water, particularly over 400 meters, it is unlikely to find an environmentalist at the bottom claiming that there is some new form of life that is not only new but highly in danger. So with all fairness to the Nation's bird, I would say that what we need to do is stop talking about 68 million acres that are 'available for production' when in fact, the vast majority of that has little or no usable oil. And I just want to give you a fairly short statement, Mr. Speaker. It is not a question of whether or not you have acreage, it's a question of whether the acreage is valid acreage for oil.”