Alaska's contribution to America's freedom isn't just the oil we provide or the food we harvest from the seas or our location which is the best in the world for our military. It is more than that. It begins with the fact that Alaskans are free-thinkers.

We can develop ANWR oil without harm to the environment and to the wildlife that live there,

Freedom comes from strength and self-reliance.

The more traditional fuel sources we have relied on as a nation - coal, oil, and natural gas - I'm hoping they can allow us the financial springboard to move to the next generation of energy sources: renewables and alternatives.

What people unfortunately relate to when they think of Alaska oil was when the Exxon Valdez went aground because of a captain that was drunk. But when you look to how we have been safely producing and moving Alaska's oil for decades, it is a track record that is enviable.

Statutory authority to improve fuel economy has existed for 35 years at the Transportation Department, and it still exists today.