Denny Rehberg: “I rise in support of the Sununu amendment to the SAFE Act. America has the resources, technology and expertise to…”

“I rise in support of the Sununu amendment to the SAFE Act. America has the resources, technology and expertise to develop a commonsense energy policy, one that, without going to extremes, preserves all of the environmental quality gains of the past 2 decades, meets our energy needs and allows for new science and new technologies to take us into the future. One important component of America's journey towards energy self-reliance is an environmentally responsible development of the coastal plain of ANWR. It is for this reason I rise in support of the Sununu amendment. This amendment solidifies the promise that no more than 2,000 acres in ANWR will be affected by exploration. To put 2,000 acres into perspective, ANWR is approximately the size of South Carolina. The footprint that would be left by exploration on the coastal plain would be less than one-fifth the size of Dulles Airport, a footprint one-fifth the size of Dulles Airport in an area the size of South Carolina. Being from the Big Sky country of Montana, I am absolutely committed to a safe, clean, healthy environment. I will not take a back seat to anyone when it comes to championing commonsense environmental protections. I urge my colleagues to support the Sununu amendment and support this environmentally responsible development in ANWR.”