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Pelosi: Drilling in Arctic Refuge Is Not the Way to Energy Independence

May 25, 2006

Pelosi: Drilling in Arctic Refuge Is Not the Way to Energy Independence

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Contact: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. â€" House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in opposition to H.R. 5429, House Republicans’ latest attempt to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, which the House approved this afternoon:

â€Å"In the five years since the Bush-Cheney energy plan was negotiated in secret, with Big Oil at the table, energy prices have skyrocketed, and our nation has become more dependent on foreign oil. It’s time for new ideas and solutions to our energy problems.

â€Å"Instead, like a broken record, the Republicans keep replaying the same old, tired ideas on energy â€" such as opening the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. We should not sacrifice the Arctic coastal plain, one of America’s last truly wild places, for the sake of a small amount of oil.

â€Å"Democrats are stepping forward with new ideas and new solutions. We can’t drill our way to energy independence â€" but we can grow our way to energy independence. America’s farmers are ready to grow energy crops that will end our dependence on oil from unstable regions.

â€Å"We can make the most of American natural resources and American ingenuity to solve our energy challenges, without depriving our children and grandchildren of the magnificent wild lands that are their birthright.”