Joe Barton: “I rise in strong support of Sununu-Wilson. Even if you are against drilling in ANWR, you ought to support this…”

“I rise in strong support of Sununu-Wilson. Even if you are against drilling in ANWR, you ought to support this amendment. It is a self-limitation amendment. It is like I came on the floor and said, The national speed limit is 70 miles an hour. I think we ought to go 60. And somebody says, No, you can't do that. You've got to go 70. Or you've got to go 80. This is a very sensible amendment. Two thousand acres is about 3 square miles, which would be about 9 miles. The District of Columbia is 10 by 10 or 100 square miles. This is 9 percent of the District of Columbia. With the technology available, we have already shown in Prudhoe Bay we can drill environmentally responsibly. This self-limitation amendment should be supported, I think, by unanimous consent. I commend the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Sununu) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson) for offering it, and I hope that we pass this one on a voice vote.”