madam chairman , i want to commend my colleagues for offering this sensible amendment . 
we should not even be having this discussion because drilling in anwr will not make us energy independent and it will not end our nation 's reliance on middle east oil . 
drilling in anwr will do little to reduce our current dependence on foreign oil because it will take more than 10 years , yes , more than 10 years to process what little oil may be there . 
in fact , if we spent half the time promoting legislation that encourages the use of renewable energy that we have discussing drilling in anwr , we would be close to developing a sensible energy policy that would ensure real energy independence . 
we would invest in alternative renewable clean energy , conservation , and efficiency . 
that is why i will support this sensible amendment , and i encourage my colleagues to do the same . 
