madam chairman , i want to thank the gentleman from california ( chairman pombo ) and the gentleman from texas ( chairman barton ) for their fine work on a good piece of legislation that starts our process in becoming independent , providing energy policy , which i have heard none from the other side . 
remarkably , when i hear people talking about new innovative ideas , they do not tell me what `` new '' is . 
we are fossil-fuel oriented , and i will admit to that . 
and we are also dependent , and we have to admit to that . 
and we are talking about an area that is not pristine , an area , in fact , that should be developed that is 74 miles from the pipeline , an area that we have developed already in prudhoe bay , and we can see the great damage that is done up there . 
the caribou are using the pipeline to rub their backs on . 
the caribou are calving around the wells . 
the gentleman from massachusetts ( mr. markey ) xz4002530 has never been there ; so he would not know . 
and we have polar bears now that are using the line for a transportation corridor . 
so , madam chairman , those who would support the markey amendment are really supporting terrorism because you do not want to develop the domestic fuel supply in this country , and we can . 
we should be doing this right now . 
and i hear people tell me it will only affect us 10 years from now . 
if you had done it when i asked you to do it 20 years ago , we could have solved that problem . 
the thing that sort of strikes me the most is i hear people talk about special interests . 
in fact , the gentleman from massachusetts ( mr. markey ) xz4002530 mentioned it today about special interests , serving up special interests . 
but i would like to just read a little short letter that i happened to pick up off a web site . 
it says : `` dear friend , in a few short hours the republican energy bill will be brought up for debate and a vote on the floor of the house of representatives . 
i need your immediate help to ensure that this terrible bill never becomes law . 
`` last week in the committee on energy and commerce , i offered a series of amendments to increase the average fuel efficiency '' and it was turned down by the republicans . 
`` i then offered an amendment in the committee on resources to strip a provision from the bill that would open the arctic national wildlife refuge for oil drilling. '' the republicans again voted against it . 
`` if we allow drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge we will forever ruin this unique wilderness and allow the oil industry to target all 450 national wildlife refuges ... .. 
`` for the last 5 years , i have led the battle in the house to stop the republicans in the congress from selling off one of our greatest natural resources to the powerful special interests . 
help me continue to fight to expose to the american people the dangers of this extreme and ineffective action by making a contribution today. '' just , by the way , dial in to www.edmarkey.org/contribute . 
that is a special interest . 
`` help me to continue to fight for sensible , clean and independent energy future and shine a light on the republican party backroom attempts to cater to special interests by making an immediate contribution . 
as justice louis brandeis used to say , `sunshine is the best disinfectant. ' `` this is a blatant use of an issue to raise money , and you ought to be ashamed of yourself . 
to raise money on an issue that has nothing to do with energy , energy that this country needs . 
we are no longer the only buyers on the block in this world with china and india in the field . 
and if we do not wake up , we will have a collapse in our economy . 
we must develop not only anwr but other sources of fossil fuels in this country as well as nuclear and as well as hydro and as well as wind and all those other forms of energy and quit talking about pipe dreams , because if we do not , there will not be the jobs for the future generations and this country can not lead this world . 
and to have someone stand on this floor and offer an amendment that will take out the only provisional production is against america , against this great nation , and , in fact , would do the wrong thing for this nation . 
so i ask members to vote `` no '' on the markey amendment . 
keep this good bill intact . 
let us produce energy for this nation . 
let us provide for future generations . 
