Political Quotes

“Today, I introduced legislation to protect the coastal plains region of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas exploration and drilling. Every Congress since the 101st, I have either introduced or been an original cosponsor of legislation to protect the Refuge, making tomorrow the twelfth time since 1989 that I will mark my unwavering support for reaffirming the original intent of the Refuge: to provide habitat for Alaska's wildlife, by designating 1.5 million acres of the Refuge as Wilderness to be included in the National Wilderness Preservation System. I have long believed we have a responsibility to future generations to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and I have fought to protect it for as long as I have been in the Senate. The fact is, we do not have to choose between conservation and exploration when it comes to our energy future; we can do both simultaneously while moving toward a sustainable and diverse national energy policy. The Arctic Refuge is home to 250 species of wildlife. Drilling there would severely harm its abundant populations of polar bears, caribou, musk oxen, and snow geese. Beyond that, the amount of commercially recoverable oil in the Refuge would satisfy only a very small percentage of our Nation's need at any given time and would have no appreciable long-term impact on gasoline prices.”