Washington, D.C. —
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) today praised the Administration for approving the sale of 11 million barrels of crude oil from the nation's emergency oil stockpiles and called on Senate colleagues to support ANWR exploration to further alleviate gas prices and secure the nation’s energy supply. Combined with the 12.6 million barrels of crude previously approved for loans, these SPR releases, in response to the disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina, will provide 23.6 million barrels of crude for the U.S. market.
“The Administration has made the right move for South Dakotans and for all Americans today. Tapping the nation’s petroleum reserve in light of one of the worst disasters to ever hit our nation is both logical and necessary. It will go a long way toward alleviating burdensome gas prices and ensuring an undisrupted supply of gasoline to American families and businesses,” Thune said. “But there is more to be done in the long-run to secure America’s energy supply against future crises. Some of my colleagues have until this point been reluctant to support environmentally responsible exploration and drilling in a small portion of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—despite government estimates that billions of barrels of recoverable oil exist beneath its Coastal Plain.
“The Senate is poised to vote on ANWR exploration this fall when a reconciliation package comes to the floor. This time, with the knowledge of how natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina can threaten our nation’s energy supply, I hope my colleagues in the Senate will join me in supporting ANWR exploration as an important step in boosting America’s energy independence and security.”
“The Administration has made the right move for South Dakotans and for all Americans today. Tapping the nation’s petroleum reserve in light of one of the worst disasters to ever hit our nation is both logical and necessary. It will go a long way toward alleviating burdensome gas prices and ensuring an undisrupted supply of gasoline to American families and businesses,” Thune said. “But there is more to be done in the long-run to secure America’s energy supply against future crises. Some of my colleagues have until this point been reluctant to support environmentally responsible exploration and drilling in a small portion of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—despite government estimates that billions of barrels of recoverable oil exist beneath its Coastal Plain.
“The Senate is poised to vote on ANWR exploration this fall when a reconciliation package comes to the floor. This time, with the knowledge of how natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina can threaten our nation’s energy supply, I hope my colleagues in the Senate will join me in supporting ANWR exploration as an important step in boosting America’s energy independence and security.”