Did you know that there are 90 billion barrels of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) that accounts for an estimated 22% of the unexplored resources on Earth? Did you know that there is pending legislation in Congress that would open the Arctic Energy Slope to energy exploration and would be limited to a 0.01% development footprint? Did you know that the bill would grant coastal states the authority to keep exploration 100 miles away from their coast, that they would share in the revenues received, and that additional revenues would be invested in long-term alternative energy trust funds to promote renewable and cleaner energy sources? And did you know that there has never been an oil spill or disaster (even through the fiercest ocean storms imaginable) related to offshore drilling? In sum, this legislation would drive down the price of gasoline, enrich the coffers of struggling coastal states, and would actually fund additional development of alternative energy sources. And did you know Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to even allow the House to vote up or down on the legislation before adjourning for a 5-week recess? Remember the strategy of the Democrats: do everything possible to block anything that might boost our economy, talk only of gloom and doom, and hope that the masses will somehow be unaware that the Dems are the ones stifling economic reform and blindly buy into their "hope and change" presidential candidate. They don't care one bit about how their obstructiveness affects the pocket books of Americans. They will do anything to get elected. As Speaker Pelosi begins her 5-week vacation without even allowing a vote on the legislation, many Americans will now have to decide if they can even afford a vacation.
