GOP candidates to visit ANWR to promote drilling

Five Republican congressional candidates will travel to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to promote drilling there to reduce the U.S.’s dependence on foreign oil.

“With gas prices at an all-time high, we need to take steps now to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” said trip participant Craig Williams, who is challenging Joe Sestak (D-Pa.). “We have energy resources available to us domestically that can cut our dependence on foreign oil and provide a bridge to tomorrow when we can more heavily rely on renewable energy resources such as hydro-electric, solar and wind power.”

{mosads}Due to accompany Williams on the July 13 trip are Chris Lien, who is challenging Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D) in South Dakota, Paul Stark, who faces Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), Luke Puckett, who takes on Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and Mike Sodrel, who is running against Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.).

“We need to explore every existing energy resource available to us and simultaneously use American ingenuity to phase in renewable forms of energy,” said Williams. “ANWR is a vital part of an overarching policy we need to embrace to reduce our dependency on foreign oil.”

President Bush has pushed Congress to pass legislation to explore the possibility of drilling in the area. The issue pits a majority of Republicans against the Democrats, who have blocked all efforts to produce oil in ANWR. However, both Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) do not support drilling there because of the potential impact on the land and wildlife.