{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-inhofe-speaks-about-anwr-and-energy-independence", "ICYMI: Inhofe Speaks About ANWR and Energy Independence", "2017-11-17", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "OK", "James Inhofe", "I000024", "www.inhofe.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "ICYMI Inhofe Speaks About ANWR and Energy Independence\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, November 17, 2017\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tU.S. Sen.\u00a0Jim Inhofe\u00a0(R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, spoke on the Senate floor yesterday about legislation to open a small part the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for responsible energy development.\r\n\r\nKey Excerpts:\r\n\u201c\u2026 Yesterday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee met to consider legislation to open up a very small part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for responsible energy development. This bill was successfully passed by the Committee and I look forward to helping it continue to move through Congress. \u2026\r\n\u201c\u2026 Authorizing the sale of leases in Alaska will also increase revenue to the United States. It is estimated that energy production in Alaska can lead to over $1 trillion in revenue. Responsibly managed, that will have a positive impact on reducing our national debt.\u00a0 Most significantly, opening ANWR is allowing Alaskans to do what they want to do. \u2026\r\n\u201c\u2026 Energy independence is vital to our national security. How many of these countries apart of the old Soviet Union have wanted their allegiance to us, but are forced to buy their gas from Russia and Iran\u2014and they don\u2019t want to do it. Now, we are taking them off the hook. \u2026\r\n\u201c\u2026 President Trump has been clear\u2014he intends to make the United States a net energy exporter, something we haven\u2019t been since 1953. We\u2019re going to do it. \u2026\u201d\r\nRead Sen. Inhofe\u2019s full remarks as prepared for delivery below.\r\nMr. President, I now turn to another topic of importance to American families\u2014our energy independence. While many have talked about the importance of the budget reconciliation process to set us up to pass the historic, much needed tax cuts for our individuals and small businesses, the process also allows the Senate to use reconciliation for something equally as valuable\u2014to allow energy exploration in Alaska.\r\nYesterday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee met to consider legislation to open up a very small part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for responsible energy development. This bill was successfully passed by the Committee and I look forward to helping it continue to move through Congress.\r\nI\u2019ve long been an advocate for a long period of time for responsible development of untapped resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It is interesting, the people of Alaska\u2014they all want it to happen. They know all the benefits that will come to Alaska, the money that will be there. People talk about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as if this is some great thing\u2014it is the size of South Carolina. It is a small thing. \r\nAuthorizing the sale of leases in Alaska will also increase revenue to the United States. It is estimated that energy production in Alaska can lead to over $1 trillion in revenue. Responsibly managed, that will have a positive impact on reducing our national debt.\u00a0 Most significantly, opening ANWR is allowing Alaskans to do what they want to do. \r\nWe are so good at\u2014in this body\u2014thinking we know more about what\u2019s good for Alaska, what\u2019s good for Oklahoma, what\u2019s good for Georgia, then they do in those states. One of the few things we do right around this place is the highway bills. With highway bills, we get the priorities of the states and they decide what it is they want to do in their states.\r\nFor too long, the federal government has been keeping Alaskans from acting in their own best interest.\r\nFinally, increasing energy production in Alaska is a key part of making the United States not only energy independent, but energy dominant.\r\nAnd we are on the verge of doing just that. Earlier this week the executive director of the International Energy Agency, Faith Birol said that the \u201cthe United States will become the undisputed global oil and gas leader for decades to come\u201d and that \u201cthe growth in production is unprecedented, exceeding all historical levels.\u201d\r\nANWR could be, and should be part of that story.\r\nEnergy independence is vital to our national security. How many of these countries apart of the old Soviet Union have wanted their allegiance to us, but are forced to buy their gas from Russia and Iran\u2014and they don\u2019t want to do it. Now, we are taking them off the hook. \r\nI had a great experience, not long ago, of being invited by the president of Lithuania to come and open their first terminal. \r\nLast month Harold Hamm, chairman and CEO of Continental Resources in Oklahoma, announced that they would begin exporting oil to China. Exporting to China. That\u2019s kind of a big deal. He\u2019s the one who talks about how we will be controlling enough energy to have that same impact on the rest of the world. \r\nPresident Trump has been clear\u2014he intends to make the United States a net energy exporter, something we haven\u2019t been since 1953. We\u2019re going to do it. \r\nOpening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be a big step towards this initiative and I applaud the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for helping the administration make this happen.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-inhofe-speaks-about-anwr-and-energy-independence"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9156851340085268, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}