Energy

Floor Speech

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, I want to turn to energy now. You know the President is in Saudi Arabia. There is a lot of irony here, I believe, because his administration has clearly--clearly--made it harder for Americans to produce American energy with American workers, with American infrastructure. That is a fact. That is a fact, OK? I see it in Alaska every day--every single day. The Federal Government is trying to stop the production of American energy.

What are we seeing? Inflation, super high prices at the gas pump-- literally, everything. Senior administration officials are going to Wall Street. Senior administration officials who are Federal regulators for finance are all trying to choke off capital to the American energy sector. It hurts my constituents. It hurts the country.

So the President is going to Saudi Arabia to beg them to produce more. He should send an envoy to Texas or an envoy to Alaska and say: Hey, how can we produce more here? How can we produce more here? I hope they are starting to change their tune. I hope they are starting to change their tune so that we don't need to beg the Saudis, dictators like Iran and Venezuela, and all these other autocratic regimes in the world to produce. We should produce it in our country. We have the highest standards in the world by far on the environment--by far. It is not even close. We have high standards of labor in the world.

The Biden administration, in my State, has been a disaster. They have issued 26 Executive orders or Executive actions solely focused on my State, solely focused on Alaska, none of which has been helpful.

Lately--lately--there has been discussion, constructive discussion, on a big project in Alaska called the Willow Project. The Biden administration is showing signs that they want to support it. That would make sense. The country needs energy. This would be done in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska set aside decades ago by Congress for oil and gas development--again, the highest standards in the world. I pitched the President on this project over a year ago in the Oval Office. By the way, it has some of the lowest emissions in the world of any big energy project. I am going to talk about who supports it.

This has been in permitting for years. I won't go through the timeline, but this project, the Willow Project, has been in permitting for years. We could start building it this winter. As a matter of fact, we tried to start building it last winter.

Like I said, I pitched the President on this: 2,000 construction jobs; enormous support from the building trades, labor unions; lowest greenhouse gas emissions for a project this type and size in America. And it would help us not have to go beg from other countries.

But there has been a lot of press in the last week on the Willow Project. Of course, our mainstream media doesn't get it. They love to tell their kind of slanted story on the Willow Project, so I am going to push back. And, boy, if you are a reporter, I really hope you write down some of the stuff that I am going to talk about here because it is all factual. And with all due respect, most of you guys never write about these things.

I am going to start with this chart. This is a really important chart in my mind, and it is important because this chart goes to an issue that really, really strikes to the heart and soul of why resource development in my State in particular is so important.

This chart is from the American Medical Association, and it looks at life expectancy from 1980 to 2014: 25 years. And in different parts of America, you see different life expectancy in these different colors. The blue, darker blue-purple is areas where life expectancy has increased dramatically in the last 25 years.

Unfortunately, there is yellow, orange, and even red. Life expectancy has slowed or even decreased in a few places. If you look at the map, that is mostly due to the horrendous opioid epidemic that we had as a nation.

But if you look at this chart, the one State where life expectancy has increased the most, by far, is the State of Alaska. The one area in the State of Alaska that has increased the most in terms of life expectancy are many of our rural areas: North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, Aleutian Island chain--13 years, 13 years. In 25 years, people's life expectancy went up that much.

I have asked many times my Senate colleagues, Give me a policy indicator of success more important than are the people you representing living longer. Give me one. There isn't one. That is about as important as it gets.

And in my State, it has happened. It has happened. Why has it happened? Why has it happened? Well, I will tell you why it has happened. First, in a lot of these rural areas, unfortunately, the life expectancy in the early eighties was quite low.

These are primarily Alaskan Native communities, and they had some of the lowest life expectancies of any Americans--sometimes of any people in the world--because they didn't have things, like good jobs and flush toilets and clinics. They lived in real poverty. So we started really low.

And then what happened? What happened that in these mostly Alaskan Native communities people started living longer? I will tell you what happened. They started getting jobs. Resource development happened, responsible resource development: oil, gas, mining, fishing.

So when I talk about these issues, when Senator Murkowski talks about these issues, it is not just some kind of pie-in-the-sky issue of oil and gas. I mean, this is about life and death, which is why I come down here a little bit riled up sometimes because people don't have a clue. People don't have a clue.

The radical enviros who try to shut down the economies of my State all the darned time and some U.S. Senators--primarily the senior Senator from New Mexico--who come down here and try to shut this down, they don't understand.

So people are living longer in Alaska, much longer, more than any other part of the country because we have had responsible resource development, which brings me back to Willow.

So, again, you will see all these articles in the Washington Post, all these stories. Heck, there is three this week, I think, about this one project. And they are all slanted. And you have got some Lower 48 environmental group in New York City or San Francisco--oh my gosh, climate bomb--all this rhetoric that is hot air--pardon the pun--but not accurate. Who is supporting this project? Who is supporting?

You have an incredible diversity of people supporting this project. First, the unions, every major union in America--building trades, AFL- CIO--they are all supporting this project. They are all supporting this project.

But what I really want to emphasize is another group that is very special to me that supports the Willow Project. And you see here some of the symbols of these groups right here.

Some are the Alaska Chamber, Oil and Gas Association, Resource Development Council, but most of these symbols here are the Alaskan Native people--the Alaskan Native people, the leaders of a really important constituency in Alaska, the First Peoples of Alaska.

Why am I saying this? Because our national media never talks about this, right? They will pick one group, one leader--oh, we are against it--so they write about it. That is baloney.

The leaders of the Alaska communities, the Native communities are overwhelmingly supportive of this project. And here is my point: This administration loves to talk about environmental justice, environmental equity, communities that have been discriminated against to make sure they have access to proper environment, but you know what they do? They have been doing it for a year-and-a-half. When they talk about environmental justice, environmental equity, they always forget about Alaskan Natives. They purposefully forget about Alaskan Natives. I see it all the time.

They can't do it this time. This project--and come on, media, write the story. This project has overwhelming support by the Native leaders and Native communities in Alaska.

So if you are for environmental justice and racial equity, all the things that the Biden administration says they are for, you better be a Willow supporter.

And for those in the Biden administration, Gina McCarthy and others, someone should ask her, Why are you discriminating against Alaskan Native people, because that is exactly what you are doing.

So you have, right here, some of our Alaska Native leaders in this statement:

The administration cannot proclaim to support meaningful tribal consultation and environmental justice while at the same time killing a critical resource [project] that supports . . . the Inupiat communities of the North Slope [region].

That is right there from our great Alaska Native leaders, the Alaska Federation of Natives. I have their letter. That is the group representing every single Alaska Native organization in the State, the biggest group in the State, fully supports the Willow Project.

The ANCSA Regional Corporation leadership fully supports the Willow Project.

The Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope fully supports the Willow Project.

Senator Murkowski just put out a press release.

Alaskans Voice Strong Support for Willow Project

Washington, DC--In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement in strong support of ConocoPhillips' Willow project, located in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), after the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for it late last week.

``From day one, I've elevated the Willow project to the Administration as my top priority, and I will continue to hold them accountable to their commitment to see this additional environmental review through so that construction can begin this winter. Responsibly-developed Alaskan energy benefits both our national security and American families who are facing near-record energy prices,'' said Senator Murkowski. ``The Willow project has gone through several extraordinarily stringent environmental reviews and will adhere to Alaska's world-class safety and environmental standards. It's no wonder the project has such broad support from Alaskans--including the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Alaska AFL-CIO, the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, and Alaska Native stakeholders across the North Slope.''

Willow is critical to Alaska's economy, throughput in the quarter-full Trans Alaska Pipeline System, domestic energy security, and making energy more affordable for families and businesses. The project is estimated to provide up to 160,000 barrels of American oil per day at peak production; $10 billion in revenue for state, local, and federal governments during its lifespan; 2,000 construction jobs, and 300 permanent jobs.

Following last week's announcement, a wide array of Alaskans joined Senator Murkowski in voicing their continued strong support for the Willow project and thanking her for her longstanding advocacy of it. Murkowski encourages all Alaskans to weigh in, in favor of Willow's final approval, through BLM's 45-day public comment process. WHAT ALASKANS ARE SAYIN

``RDC welcomed the news of the release of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) draft supplemental environmental impact statement for the Willow project,'' said Leila Kimbrell, Executive Director for the Resource Development Council for Alaska. ``After a delay to the project because of an August 2021 court decision, RDC is pleased to see the draft SEIS released in time to keep a winter construction season and we thank Senator Murkowski for keeping pressure on the administration to put this project back on track. We know this will be a responsibly developed project, having already undergone a rigorous multiyear environmental review. It's time to move forward with a responsible domestic energy project that will create thousands of jobs, generate tens of billions of dollars, and strengthen our energy independence.''

``The Willow Project is critical to the economic well-being of our region's eight Inupiat villages. Every delay in the project also delays the economic, infrastructure and employment benefits the project will bring to North Slope communities and our people. ASRC extends our gratitude to Senator Murkowski, Senator Sullivan and the late Congressman Don Young for their unwavering commitment to moving the Willow Project forward,'' said Rex A. Rock, Sr., President and CEO of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation.

``Thanks to Senator Murkowski for fighting for what is good for Alaska and America; more domestic oil in the pipeline, good jobs that support a family and lower fuel costs in our future. Once again, Lisa gets it done. Alaskans should be so proud of this tireless fighter for our state,'' said Joelle Hall, President of Alaska AFL-CIO.

``ConocoPhillips and many stakeholders, including residents of the North Slope and across Alaska are committed to the Willow project as it will supply much needed energy for the United States, while serving as a strong example of environmentally and socially responsible development that offers extensive public benefits. The Willow project has undergone an extensive and rigorous multi-year environmental analysis, including extensive baseline scientific studies. The project will also create employment opportunities for union labor and contribute local tax revenue that benefit communities on the North Slope, as well as significant state and federal tax revenue for many years. ConocoPhillips thanks the Alaska Congressional Delegation--Senators Murkowski and Sullivan, and the late Congressman Young--for their tremendous efforts in advocating for the Willow project,'' said Erec Isaacson, President of ConocoPhillips Alaska.

``Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope supports the development of the Willow Project. Responsible development for our region will provide infrastructure, jobs and economic growth for our tribal members. ICAS is pleased with the environmental reviews that took place to ensure safe development,'' said Morrie Lemen, Jr., Executive Director of the Inupiat Community of The Arctic Slope.

``The desperate need for the Willow project could not come at a more critical juncture in time. Alaskans and Americans across the country are paying record high energy prices, while the more than 20 year struggle to get the Willow project developed serves as a chilling reminder that what stands between Americans and lower energy prices is nothing but bureaucratic red tape. Meanwhile, this vital project that can drive energy abundance, is tucked away in the NPR-A because government can't get out of the way. We appreciate Senator Murkowski's tenacity on this issue and we look forward to working with her to rollback despotic environmental regulations,'' said Bernadette Wilson, State Director of Americans for Prosperity Alaska.

``Energy security is vital to our country. Alaska has a critical role and ability to provide needed energy. Among the whole array of energy options, the Willow project can be a shining example of success,'' said Julie Kitka, President of the Alaska Federation of Natives.

``The release of the draft environmental review for the Willow project comes at a critical time for Alaska and the nation. Along with the majority of Alaskans, the Alaska Chamber is a steadfast supporter of responsible development projects that provide jobs, economic opportunity, and increased revenue to state, local, and federal governments. Now, more than ever, the United States needs to increase domestic energy supply and enact and defend sound policy that encourages development of our natural resources at home. The Chamber thanks Senators Murkowski and Sullivan for their persistence in keeping the Willow project at the forefront of the discussion with the Biden Administration and ensuring the project receives due process,'' said Kati Capozzi, President and CEO of the Alaska Chamber of Commerce.

``Through the North Slope Borough permitting process we exercise zoning and other oversight that has--in partnership with the State and Fed's--led to some of the strictest environmental regulations in our nation and one of the best examples of responsible development in the world. Senator Murkowski knows this and was a champion for our region on endeavors like the Willow project. Willow will not only lead to jobs, but better schools, health clinics, and transportation infrastructure and we can't thank the Senator enough for continuing to fight for the region and the State,'' said D.J. Fauske, Director of Government and External Affairs for the North Slope Borough.

``It is encouraging to see the Bureau of Land Management release the revised draft environmental review of ConocoPhillips' proposed Willow Master Development Plan in the National Petroleum Reserve, or NPR-A. AOGA and its allies will be fully engaged in the public meetings to come, and we encourage all Alaskans to learn more about the project's benefits and participate as the process moves forward. Willow represents a near-term opportunity to help return the United States to energy independence at a time when our country desperately needs more domestic sources of oil and gas. Of course, a project the size of Willow will also boost Alaska's economy, creating job opportunities and providing tax revenues to state, local, and federal governments. Alaskans have long supported development of our oil and gas resources. Now is the time to speak up and let the federal government know how those of us who call Alaska home feel about projects like Willow: no one cares more about protecting our environment or safely developing Alaska's resources than Alaskans. Alaskans who want to be a part of this significant step forward have a 45-day comment period to make their voices heard,'' said Kara Moriarty, President and CEO of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association.

``The Willow project represents a valid compliment to rising energy needs while contributing to the health, well- being, security and self-determination of the region, state and country. Regulatory process would be better served by more effective implementation of process and less evaluation by political trends,'' said Douglas Whiteman, Mayor of the City of Atqasuk on the North Slope.

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, Alaskans Voice Strong Support for the Willow Project. She has a huge list of Alaskan Native groups and others who are supporting the Willow Project.

Re AFN Continued Support for the Willow Project. Hon. Debra Haaland, Department of the Interior.

Dear Secretary Haaland: On behalf of the Co-Chairs and Board of Directors of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), I write to share our long-standing support for the Alaska Willow Project in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPR- A).

The Willow Project has undergone stringent environmental permitting and a vigorous community engagement process. It was planned based on the requirements of the 2013 NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan under the Obama-Biden Administration and Secretary Salazar with the highest standards for environmental stewardship. The permitting and environmental review process encompassed a period of well over two years and included multiple rounds of public comment and public meetings with Alaska Native stakeholders. AFN appreciates the outreach and communication between ConocoPhillips and the Alaska Native community and considers the process a model for other development initiatives.

AFN understands that the need for a proactive whole of government approach to deal with climate change; however fossil fuels will be with us for quite some time to come, and projects like Willow can help bridge the gap. As such, delaying Willow any further will only hinder Alaska's economic recovery. The Willow Project could jumpstart our economy with thousands of jobs and be a model in community and environmental stewardship for future opportunities.

Additionally, the international crisis in Ukraine highlights the Willow Project's importance to our national security. The looming invasion of Ukraine by Russia is already stressing global energy markets. The Willow Project is a critical opportunity for the U.S. to expand domestic energy supplies and security while creating economic opportunities to help Alaska recover from the pandemic. As such, I strongly urge you to support the current record of decision and allow the Willow Project to move forward as planned and previously approved.

Thank you for your consideration. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Julie Kitka, President.

Hon. Deb Haaland, Secretary Nominee, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC.

Dear Secretary Nominee Haaland: The ANCSA Regional Association (ARA) represents the twelve Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) which was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Nixon in 1971. The Alaska Native Village Corporation Association (ANVCA) represents 177 village and urban corporations created by ANCSA. Together these organizations represent over 150,000 Alaska Native shareholders.

We write today to urge the Department of Interior not to delay the ConocoPhillips Alaska Willow Project given the exhaustive and thorough review process it has already undergone, and the urgent need for vetted, economic opportunities for safe development in Alaska.

ARA and ANVCA strongly support responsible resource development in Alaska and are concerned about reports that the DOI intends to, once again, review the EIS Record of Decision (ROD) for Willow, which could delay or defer the project's progress.

There is no basis for further review of the ROD, given the extensive record of public hearings, documented BLM efforts to address all issues raised through public comment, completion of an in-depth environmental analysis, and the over 270 stipulations and best management practices the project will be required to follow. The Willow EIS was performed under the rigorous process in place during the Obama Administration, and was not expedited or granted any special consideration. The EIS took more than two years to complete and the report itself totals more than 2,600 pages of in-depth analysis. Given the extensive nature of the process used to perform the Willow EIS, we request that the Department of Interior not delay the Willow project for further unnecessary analysis, or political rhetoric.

The State of Alaska has been in recession for over five years, well before the COVID pandemic hit, which then caused further negative impacts in every industry important to our state. The federal government should be looking at opportunities to help Alaska respond to these impacts rather than exacerbating them. Delaying a project like Willow, which has already passed a rigorous EIS process, will cause ripple effects throughout the Alaskan economy. This project will support over 2,000 construction jobs and hundreds of long- term jobs, while providing over $2 billion in revenues to the State of Alaska and $7.6 billion in federal royalties. For context, $2 billion is roughly the size of the current budget deficit faced by our state. Revenues received by this project allows our rural communities to receive continued support to schools, health clinics and basic public services like water and sewer treatments.

The Willow Project has passed every environmental and community test put before it and would provide a much-needed economic boost to Alaska. Delaying it any further will only bring more harm to our state. It also harms the economy and budget of the North Slope Borough, the local government most closely impacted by the federal government's decision for review. Best Regards, Kim Reitmeier,

Executive Director, ARA. Hallie Bissett,

Executive Director, ANVCA.

Hon. Raul Grijalva, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Chairman Grijalva: It has come to our attention that you are considering sending a letter to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland opposing the Willow Project, a project located in our region of Alaska. In your position as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, a committee that has jurisdiction on issues related to the Indigenous Peoples of the United States, we respectfully request that you meet with and listen to the indigenous people of the North Slope of Alaska before you take a position on the Willow Project.

The Inupiat of the North Slope have lived in the Arctic for over 10,000 years. We are proud of our self-determination efforts to ensure future generations of Inupiat continue to reside in our communities and have access to essential services. Without a stable economy, our communities will suffer and so too will our ability to engage in Inupiat cultural traditions, including a subsistence way of life.

The North Slope of Alaska spans an area nearly the size of the state of Minnesota and within that expansive area, there are eight Inupiat communities--Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Kaktovik, Nuiqsut, Point Hope, Point Lay, Utqiagvik and Wainwright. None of our communities are accessible by road; all supplies must be flown or barged in making the cost of living extremely high, and economic opportunity generally low. Our North Slope residents are keenly aware that advances in our communities--running water, local schools, health care, public safety, electricity, and more have come as a result of the coordination and cooperation of Alaska Native leaders and entities across the region.

As you know, fifty years ago, the Federal Government directed Alaska Native people to organize in a new structure of indigenous representation. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, commonly referred to as ANCSA, was a dramatically different approach by the Federal Government to Federal Indian policy Unlike the Lower 48 model of indigenous representation that typically has a central entity on the reservation, the Tribe, that administers the delivery of services like healthcare, public safety, education, land management and economic development to name a few, the passage of ANCSA created a fragmented system of Alaska Native representation and delivery of services.

Our region has a multitude of Alaska Native entities that work together to effectively serve, provide for and enrich the lives of the Inupiat people we represent. Our three entities, the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (ICAS), the North Slope Borough (Borough) and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) are three of those entities. While our roles are defined, our constituencies overlap which is why we work closely together to protect the cultural and economic interests of the North Slope Inupiat.

Established in 1971, the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope is a federally recognized regional tribal government for the North Slope and represents over 13,000 Inupiat tribal members. The mission of ICAS is to exercise its sovereign rights and powers for the benefit of tribal members, to conserve and retain tribal lands and resources including subsistence and environmental issues, to establish and carry out justice systems including social services under Inupiat tribal law and custom, and to increase the variety and quality of services provided to current tribal members and for our future generations.

The North Slope Borough is a home rule government located above the Arctic Circle that represents the roughly 10,000 residents in the eight communities of the region. The Borough's jurisdiction includes the entire National Petroleum Reserve--Alaska (NPR-A) and the villages within it--Nuiqsut, Atqasuk, Utqiagvik, and Wainwright. In 1972, the Inupiat people of the North Slope formed the Borough to ensure our communities would benefit from oil and gas development on their ancestral homelands. It was the first time Native Americans took control of their destiny through the use of a municipal government. The Borough exercises its powers of taxation, property assessment, education, and planning and zoning services. Taxes levied on oil and gas infrastructure have enabled the Borough to invest in public infrastructure and utilities, support education, and provide police, fire, emergency and other services. Elsewhere in rural Alaska, these services are typically provided by the state or federal governments.

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation was incorporated pursuant to the passage of ANCSA. ASRC is owned by and represents the business interests of our approximately 13,000 Inupiat shareholders, many of whom reside in the eight communities on the North Slope. ANCSA extinguished aboriginal land title and conveyed nearly five million acres of fee-simple land to ASRC for the cultural and economic benefit of our Inupiat shareholders. Mandated by Congress to not only operate as a for-profit corporation but to serve the social and welfare interests of the people it represents, ASRC is committed to providing financial returns to our Inupiat shareholders in the form of jobs and dividends, and to preserving Inupiat culture and traditions.

Over the decades, and even more so today, we have seen national environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) attempt to wear the mantle of protectors of Indigenous interests in the U.S. Arctic--something that we, as elected and appointed leaders of the Inupiat people of the North Slope, find unacceptable. ENGO's continue to push a false narrative to advance their agendas at the expense of the Indigenous people and communities of the North Slope.

To fully embrace the Biden Administration's priorities of racial equity, environmental justice and supporting underserved communities, leaders must take the time to listen to those they are aiming to serve, even if their perspective may not fit the political narrative being pushed on a national level.

We understand that your proposed letter not only requests Secretary Haaland oppose the Willow Project, but it calls for terminating the project in order to protect the resources that support Indigenous communities. The Administration cannot proclaim to support meaningful tribal consultation and environmental justice while at the same time killing a critical resource that supports our regional economy and the Inupiat communities of the North Slope region. If the contents of your proposed letter are true, this would be highly offensive to our region's leadership.

ICAS, the Borough and ASRC support the development of the Willow Project. Our region has a fifty-year relationship with the oil and gas industry, which came as a result of the Federal Government's desire to develop oil and gas resources on our ancestral homelands. While initially wary of any development on our lands, through open communication and transparency in planning and Inupiat ingenuity, our relationship with the oil and gas industry has turned into a partnership. A partnership that has brought significant economic benefits to the region that would have otherwise been absent. The entities that represent the North Slope Inupiat play an active role in oil and gas development projects that take place in our region. Our region has shown that responsible development and the continuation of our Inupiat cultural traditions, including subsistence activities, can effectively coexist while also providing the means to deliver modern-day essential services such as police and fire protection, pre-K-12 education and water and sewer infrastructure (which again, are largely made possible through responsible development of oil and gas resources on our lands).

If you are truly concerned about curbing oil and gas development, examine the massive imports of Russian oil coming into the West Coast of the United States and also ask why the Biden Administration has recently called for OPEC to produce more overseas developed oil to stave off Russian aggression in Ukraine. None of these countries have the same stringent rules and regulations imposed on oil and gas companies that operate in the U.S., including in our region of Alaska. The North Slope region has developed our oil and gas resources safely and for the direct benefit of our Inupiat community and the nation.

We would be grateful and honored to have the opportunity to meet with you on this topic and ask that you consider meeting with us before sending a letter that does not align with the interests of the Inupiat of the North Slope of Alaska.

If there are any questions we can answer for you or your staff, or to schedule a time to meet please contact Bridget Anderson, ASRC's Vice President External Affairs. Sincerely, George Edwardson,

President,

Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope. Harry K. Brower, Jr.,

Mayor,

North Slope Borough. Rex A. Rock. Sr.,

President and CEO,

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation.

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, so here is my point: The next time the media writes a big story on Willow and environmental justice and racial equity--which they love to do--and Alaska, they need to include this. This is the truth. They need to include the strong union support.

Go talk to the laborers, go talk to the building trades, go talk to Sean McGarvey, Terry O'Sullivan. See what they think about Willow.

There is one group that doesn't like Willow. It is the same group that doesn't like anything in America. It is the radical far-left environmental groups that are trying to shut down my State and keep Native Americans, Native Alaskans, impoverished in Alaska. I am not going to let that happen.

Here is one final thing. It is funny, not funny--Amusing, not amusing. Again, this is really important. This is about life and death.

You have all these stories about Willow in the national media, but what really, really kind of burns me up is there is a story--you know, they talk about the climate bomb, whatever the heck that means; it is not factual. But the one story I never see about Federal lands--real big increases in oil and gas production, real big increases in emissions--that never gets written about, again for our friends in the media--never--is what is going on in New Mexico, what is going on in New Mexico.

Well, we know some of the Members, the senior Senator from New Mexico, he loves to come after Alaska projects; I don't know why. Shut them down. Maybe to divert the media's attention from what is going on in his State. But I just want to give a couple stats.

Since 2019, New Mexico has increased production in its oil production by 700,000 barrels a day. It is pretty impressive. They were at 800,000 barrels; they have increased by almost 700,000. They have increased more than Alaska even produces in 3 years.

It is now the second largest oil producer in the country. The senior Senator from New Mexico recently bragged that is up 400 percent. OK. Good for him.

It is still amazing to me; he comes down here a lot, writes letters to try to shut down my State. But, whatever, I don't go after New Mexico. But I do want our friends in the media to just kind of ask the questions. Boy, oh, boy, you want to talk about climate bomb: 700,000 barrels a day. They have more carbon emissions than Alaska by far. Nobody is writing that story. But it is also how we do our environmental standards in different States. My State has the highest standards in the world on energy production--New Mexico, not so much.

Let me just give you a couple of examples: The average well in Alaska is 28,000 barrels a day because it is conventional. We are actually-- the resource is so rich there, we are not fracking like they do in the unconventional area. The average well in New Mexico produces 100 barrels--a hundred barrels to 28,000. So what does that mean? You have to drill 280 wells in New Mexico just to reach the equivalent of one in Alaska.

So the environmental footprint is much bigger. The carbon emission is much bigger. New Mexico flares its gas. We reinject our gas--again, highest environmental standards in the world.

We conduct our exploration and drilling activities only in the winter. You have to build ice roads, ice pads. Zero impact. I used to be in charge of this.

It is very expensive to do that. One little drop of anything--chewing tobacco--on the tundra, you have to report it. So where is the story about what is going on there?

Where is the carbon bomb story on New Mexico? Where is the story that the Secretary of the Interior has directed almost half the Federal permits to drill in the country to one State? Do you think it is Alaska? No way. They are trying to shut us down.

You think it is Texas? Nope. North Dakota? Nope. It is New Mexico. Golly gee, isn't that interesting?

I sure hope--look, it is terribly suspicious from my perspective that one State has received more Federal energy permits in the last 15 months than all other States in America combined. The Secretary of the Interior is from New Mexico. OK. Maybe there is something there.

But here is the bottom line: There have been barrels of ink spilled on every single project in Alaska--Willow, this week. But reporters shrug their shoulders, look the other way. Maybe it is because it is a blue State, they don't want to touch those guys, when it comes to New Mexico. No wonder Americans don't trust the media.

I am going to conclude with this quote. It is from a Wall Street Journal editorial written by the North Slope Borough mayor, Harry Brower, the Inupiat leader of the North Slope community and Josiah Paktotak, who is the State rep. These are two Alaska Native leaders elected. They are fully supportive of Willow.

It was in the Wall Street Journal, entitled ``Let Alaska Sell American Energy to the World,'' and it was written in March, as Russia was invading Ukraine.

They said:

Even as Russian tanks lined up on the Ukrainian border in February, the Biden administration froze U.S. drilling on Federal lands and issued rules making it harder to build natural gas pipelines.

By the way, that is the rule that I am putting forth a CRA resolution to rescind.

They continue:

We may be Inupiaq Eskimos 5,000 miles away from the Washington policy machine, but we know crazy when we see it. And this is crazy.

And the American people know it.

Now, look, the President is in the Middle East, meeting with allies, asking for the Saudis to produce more oil. But as he would say: Come on, man. You got to start at home. You got to start at home.

The Willow Project in Alaska, supported by the Native community, supported by the unions--I would guarantee supported by probably 90 percent of Americans--it is time to get things like this done.

So our NEPA Congressional Review Act and our advocacy for commonsense projects, like Willow, supported by every single group in my State--and I sure hope the media writes about this--especially the Native people-- if they shut this down, that will be the ultimate injustice to indigenous people in Alaska, and they know it. And that is one of the many reasons why they shouldn't do it.

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