Chris Sununu: “I think it this is a reasonable amendment, and I will read from it directly. It ensures that the maximum of acreage…”

“I think it this is a reasonable amendment, and I will read from it directly. It ensures that the maximum of acreage covered by production and support facilities, including air strips and areas covered by gravel, berms, or piers, does not exceed 2,000 acres. I believe that the gentleman from Massachusetts will stand and display his map again. That map depicts the 1.5 million acres of the coastal plain area. 2,000 acres represents one-tenth of one percent of that area. Now, it is not necessarily contiguous area, but the map that he showed earlier, the map that he will show again, represents a swath that is easily 100,000 acres, perhaps 200,000 acres. It is not one-tenth of one percent of the area on his map. I think it does a disservice to the quality of the debate in the House here. I think it does a disservice to the importance of striking a balance in any energy policy we pursue. This is a complex issue. If it had an easy, simple solution, the previous administration would have put in place a sound energy policy. They did not.”