Growing Up In A Very Rural And

In The West, You Take People At Their Word.

While It Is Important To Maintain A Balanced Approach To Solving Our Nation's Energy Problems, We Must Commit Ourselves To Recognize Some Areas As 'off Limits,' And The Artic National Wildlife Reserve Is A National Symbol Of That Commitment.

I Don't Believe That The American Dream Should Be Reserved For Those Who Are Born Into The Elite Or Somehow Have Been Given An Advantage Over Others. My Growing-up Experience Is Probably The Most Important Thing That Guides My Priorities And My Work Today.

I Work Hard And I Have A Standard Of Excellence - And I Expect Everyone At The Interior Department To Meet That Same Standard. I Delegate A Lot. I Might Appear To Be Doing A Lot Of Different Things, But There's A Strong Team Helping Me. I Believe We're Going To Have The Strongest Team Of Any Agency In The Obama Administration.

Shale Gas Has Provided The United States The Opportunity To Have 100 Years Of Supply That Is Domestically Produced. If We Are Going To Develop Natural Gas From Shale, It Has To Be Done In A Safe And Responsible Manner.