Jeff Bingaman: “I hope the Department of Interior will make the full drilling plan available for peer review by other industry experts.”

He knows the crucial role that Congress plays in setting policy and in overseeing how that policy is carried out.

He has demonstrated, on numerous occasions, his ability to find solutions to very difficult problems and to find solutions that could gain the support of Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike.

In December 2010 U.S. Senators Tom Udall, Tom Harkin, and Jeff Bingaman requested an independent study from the National Academy of Sciences on whether chimpanzees are necessary as invasive research subjects.

It's important that we have a person with substantial knowledge and many varied skills in order to succeed.