madam chairman , i thank the gentleman from california for yielding me this time . 
first , let me say that i do oppose the markey amendment , but i want to say that the letter that was just read is totally legal . 
he has got every right if he wants to use something to try to raise money . 
he did not send me that letter . 
had he sent it to me , i would have had to reply in the negative that i could not make the contribution . 
but i recognize his right to do it in that manner . 
i oppose the markey amendment because i want to pay less for gasoline in texas . 
i would like to tell the members that my great state is self-sufficient in energy production and self-sufficient in oil , but it is not true . 
we are the largest producer of oil of the 50 states , but we are also the largest consumer . 
anwr has the potential to produce up to 2 million barrels a day for 30 years . 
and depending on one 's point of view , that is a lot or a little . 
if one wants to say it is a lot , it is more than we import from saudi arabia . 
if one wants to say it is a little , it is less than we use in a year in this country . 
but 2 million barrels a day for 30 years would lower prices for every american at the pump . 
i would point out that in terms of the environment , we have been producing successfully in prudhoe bay for almost 30 years without any harm to the environment , as the gentleman from alaska ( chairman young ) showed in those pictures when he was up here right before me . 
my district produces substantial amounts of oil and gas . 
we are producing 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas every day . 
that is one half of a trillion cubic feet a year . 
i can not tell the members how many hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day , but we are producing significant amounts of oil . 
we are producing it through the water table and supplies of many of the cities that i represent . 
we are producing it from underneath downtown fort worth , texas . 
and we are doing it in a safe and environmentally effective fashion . 
we could do that also in anwr . 
i strongly support the gentleman from california 's ( chairman pombo ) amendment that would allow it . 
i want to thank our colleagues in the other body for already agreeing in the reconciliation instructions , and i urge a `` no '' vote on the markey amendment . 
