Whitehouse Statement on Alaska Oil Field Closure

Whitehouse Statement on Alaska Oil Field Closure

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sheldon Whitehouse released the following statement today in response to BP's closure of America's largest oil field, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, after "severe corrosion" was discovered in the company's pipelines.

Shutting the field down will cut America's domestic oil supply by about 8 percent, or about 400,000 barrels a day. Company representatives would not say when they expect production to be restored.

"Today's events show just how dangerously oil-dependent America has become under the Republican leadership's drill first, ask questions later mentality on energy policy. The closure of parts of America's largest oil field, in Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, should be a wake-up call of the highest order for the Bush administration and all its Republican allies who believe that more drilling - in ANWR, the Gulf of Mexico, or anywhere else - is a long-term solution to our energy crisis.

"By putting all of our energy supply eggs in one basket, Republicans have left American family budgets subject to the whims of nature, mechanical failures, and unstable regimes. Rhode Islanders have been living with sky-high gas prices for too long, and they're ready for real solutions. We need new leadership in Washington that will get serious about energy independence."

Tomorrow, Whitehouse will release a plan that sets out a path to energy independence, calling for new leadership in Washington that will make investment in renewable and alternative fuels a major national priority.

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