Jared Huffman: “For those who have flights to catch and would like to get out of here, I think I have some good news. I think we can…”

“For those who have flights to catch and would like to get out of here, I think I have some good news. I think we can keep this pretty short and pretty simple because this is a very simple bill. It reflects the proposition that there are some places that are simply too special, that are too unique, that are too environmentally vital, and that are too sacred to indigenous people to wreck them with oil and gas development. Surely, that is something that most Americans and even most people in this body, regardless of their party, could agree upon. In fact, we saw bipartisan votes yesterday that reflected the same proposition that the pristine coasts of the Atlantic, the Lowcountry in South Carolina, and the beautiful California coast are places too special to wreck them with new oil and gas development. If my colleagues believe in this simple proposition, then, surely, it must apply to America's largest wildlife refuge and to the beating biological heart of that refuge, the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. That is the simple thing that this bill is all about. Unfortunately, this motion to recommit is an attempt to distract us from that, to delay protections against this drilling, so that this administration can rush a lease plan forward. Frankly, by that time, it is too late. You can't go backward once you open a place like this up to drilling.…”