On the recordJuly 31, 2001
I have to say if the North Slope were a Third World country, we would already be using those resources, and in a way that was far more harmful to the environment than under the President's plan right now. It is unfortunate, but Americans consume 25 percent of the energy consumed on the Earth. Yet we only provide about 2 percent from our own natural resources. To me it is very hypocritical when we are that willing to consume that much; yet we are less willing to use our own resources to do it. The fact is, if the North Slope were a Third World country, we would be exploiting that oil right now; and the environmental standards would be lower than the ones we are placing on it at this time.
Source
govinfo.gov
