Seniors leader offers Democrats ANWR v. Algae challenge: “We can get oil out of ANWR before you can get oil from algae,” says 60 Plus Chairman Jim Martin.

(Alexandria, Virginia) – More than 10 years have now passed since Senate Democrats blocked drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), protesting in 2002 that it would not yield oil for at least seven to ten years.  Today, Americans are paying the price for the Democrats’ anti-energy agenda, shelling out money to pay record prices at the pump, a fact that continues to drag down our economy and make every American poorer in the process.  In response, the Democrats earned a challenge today from 60 Plus Chairman Jim Martin, leader of the nation’s largest conservative seniors advocacy organization:

“All we get from the Democrat party on energy is excuses, well I hate to remind them, but it is now 10 years later.  I’ve been drawing Social Security for 10 years, but we’ve still drawn no oil!

“The President and his party continue to this day to deny America the domestic energy sources we need, from denying drilling permits at a record pace, blocking drilling in ANWR, opposing the Keystone XL pipeline and by wasting billions of tax dollars in failed green energy companies.  Because of their actions, every American family has to drill deeper into their wallet to fill up their tanks and pay the outrageous cost of the Democrats anti-energy agenda.

“If they had supported drilling in ANWR 10 years ago as the majority of the people wanted, by the Democrats own admission America would be stronger today, with more domestic energy and less reliance on foreign oil.  Instead the American-made energy that could be filling our tanks and filling our Treasury with revenue remains exactly where it was 10 years ago — deep in the ground — and every day we don’t tap our own energy resources is another day we as a nation ship billions of dollars to other countries.

“Since the Democrat party’s opposition to drilling in ANWR is based on time concerns, I issue the following challenge to the White House — approve drilling in ANWR and we will see if we get energy first from Alaska, or from algae as the President wants.  Our nation and our economy need energy to grow and for our people to prosper.  Show the people that you care about families and the struggles we face more than about appeasing the radical environmentalists who oppose American energy.”

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