mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time . 
mr. chairman , i rise today in opposition to the markey amendment . 
of course , energy independence should be the goal of this congress . 
worldwide demand for petroleum has increased in the last decade . 
our production has been relatively flat . 
the inevitable result is higher prices at the gasoline pump . 
the reality is , it takes a long time to go from the oil field to the gasoline station , and we have lost considerable time in this regard . 
ten years ago , 1995 , 104th congress , h.r. 2491 would have allowed oil exploration in the anwr . 
the department of energy has estimated , and the chairman quoted today , between 1 and 2 million barrels of oil a day could be derived from this source . 
unfortunately , this legislation , passed by the house and the senate , was vetoed by president clinton . 
that was nearly 10 years ago . 
given a time line of 7 to 14 years for building a pipeline structure , it is time that we could scarcely afford . 
just like the other gentleman from california , i have been to anwr . 
the vast coastal plain is unsuitable for habitation during the summer months because of the marshy consistency . 
any caribou unlucky enough to calve in this region would likely die from exsanguination at the hands of the mosquitoes there . 
the people in anwr are counting on this congress to do the right thing and allow them , the rightful owners of these mineral rights , to begin developing the sources that were granted to them upon statehood in 1959 . 
