Frank Lautenberg: “We have to talk about energy conservation. We have to work at it, and we need the cooperation of everybody--citizens…”

“We have to talk about energy conservation. We have to work at it, and we need the cooperation of everybody--citizens, automobile manufacturers, all of us. We need to be energy efficient and explore the use of alternative sources of energy, instead of just falling to: Well, let's drill in the ANWR. We should also strongly encourage our friends in OPEC, as President Clinton has, to significantly increase production. I will tell my colleagues straight out, I believe they owe it to us. Although I think the increase that was just enacted should have been larger, I was slightly encouraged by OPEC's decision to increase production which will help to stabilize our prices. It is essential we continue our efforts on this front, and I look forward to another OPEC production increase at their June meeting. We have to remind the oil-producing nations in the Middle East that when they dialed 911, we answered the phone with over 400,000 of our young people put on their soil to defend Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and the surrounding area. Friendship is a two-way street.”