Max Baucus: “the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, and America's response to those attacks have shifted our sense of…”

“the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, and America's response to those attacks have shifted our sense of priorities about what's important for our Nation. But, as we move forward with the challenging task of eliminating terrorism and securing the safety of our citizens, we must not lose sight of other values that make our Nation great. Some are using the shock and fear caused by the September 11 attacks to call for renewed focus on our energy security, and more particularly to renew their calls to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration and drilling. While I agree that it is high time we developed a strategy to reduce our dependence on imported oil and secure the Nation's energy resources and infrastructure, we should all know by now that developing ANWR will not achieve this goal. I have followed the Arctic debate closely for many, many years. I've spoken to this body on a number of occasions about this subject. The facts and best evidence on the main points at issue persuade me, as they have in the past, that drilling in the Arctic is both unnecessary and unwise. First, there is no oil bonanza in the Arctic that will impact or enhance the Nation's energy security, and neither the Senate nor the Nation should be rushed to an ill-fated judgement based on wildly inflated claims to the contrary.”