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On May 4th, in response to a letter I wrote to Senator Santorum
regarding drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), I received a letter from him explaining his support
for oil exploration in one of our nation’s most pristine national wildlife refuge, which is funded through the purchase
of Duck Stamps by hunters and voluntarily by conservation minded non-hunters.
In his letter, Senator Santorum stated that, "I
also believe that exploration in ANWR will produce direct benefits for Pennsylvanians. It has been estimated that over
30,000 new jobs will be created for the Commonwealth's manufacturing, computer, and oil and gas industries through exploration
in ANWR. I believe that the creation of these jobs in areas such as software, pipe, and equipment production will
provide countless economic benefits for the Commonwealth"
I immediately called the Senator's Scranton office asking for written documentation from some independent
source to support this statement. They said they would forward my request to the Washington office and get back to me. I received
no response.
On June 6th, I called the Scranton office again. I was told to call Washington, where I was directed to Matthew
Beynon. He was in a meeting at the time, but I left a voice message asking again for independent documentation of Mr. Santorum's
statement . To date I have received no response - a letter or call back - from either Mr. Santorum's Scranton or DC offices.
Not only does Mr. Santorum make seemingly outrageous undocumented claims in letters to his constituents, requests
for information to substantiate these claims are ignored. At the very least, a return phone call and a modicum of honesty
would be some reassurance that Mr. Santorum works for the tax payers and not the major oil companies.
Michael Gadomski, Sterling PA
Letter to the editor, Pocono Record, Jul 8, 2005
The Senator's Response
On July 8, your newspaper published a letter from a Sterling resident claiming
that my office has been unresponsive to his attempts to receive information from me. I take great exception to this accusation.
Since the beginning of my tenure as an elected official, I have prided myself
upon responding to constituent requests in a timely and appropriate manner. As your United States senator, it is my duty to
represent the people of Pennsylvania, not corporate interests, as the letter writer suggests, or anyone else. Responding to
constituent inquiries, whether by phone, mail or via the Internet, is a critical aspect of this responsibility.
The letter writer should know firsthand how seriously I take every constituent
inquiry I receive. Since 2001, I have responded to him with no less than 70 letters explaining my position on a variety of
issues. For him to claim that I am unresponsive, and worse, to personally attack a member of my staff, is extremely disingenuous.
I do believe that opening up the Artic National Wildlife Refuge for exploration
will have real benefits for Pennsylvanians. Benefits like decreasing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil and the creation
of employment opportunities -- according to the grassroots, non-profit organization Artic Power, this may mean as many as
34,000 new jobs -- will help make Pennsylvania a safer and more prosperous commonwealth for years to come.
My job is to do what I believe is in the best interest of the citizens of Pennsylvania.
I am always willing to share the reasons behind my position on a vote or policy, and I want to reassure Pennsylvanians that
they can continue to count on me to respond to their questions and concerns.
Rick Santorum, United States Senate
Letter to the editor, Pocono Record, Jul 19, 2005
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