I believe the Department of Interior should have a robust role in the citing.
There's no one that cares more about the national security of the United States than President Obama and the members of this committee.
I do hope that I can be a problem solver in the time that I serve as Secretary of Interior on behalf of the Nation and its people.
But as President Obama has said he is not opposed, the administration is not opposed to production in the offshore.
Breaking the chains of our over dependence on foreign oil is a central tenant of what we are attempting to do.
We are looking at everything out in the Outer Continental Shelf.
I believe that we will be in a position where we'll be able to do that in the several months ahead.
the technology with the oil and gas industry has significantly changed over time.
It's really an effort on our part, Senator Bennett, to make sure that we're being proactive in our planning.
We haven't made any specific decisions with respect to any of the offshore areas in Alaska.
We want to make sure that it fits in with a comprehensive energy program.