On the recordJune 18, 2008
The $2 billion figure includes the surveying and the geological work to actually find the oil in the first place, which it's not just drilling, the $2 billion is from start to peak production. The point of the 68 million acres is we already know there's oil there. We already know where it is. They purchased the lease specifically because there is oil known to be in those lands, and they're making a conscious decision not to drill there. So the $2 billion actually supports our argument. It doesn't hurt our argument, it supports it, that there is work that needs to be done in any new lands that we make available that we've already done in the current 68 million acres that are available. That's what that $2 billion does.
Source
govinfo.gov




