from the oil wealth of the gulf coast to the coal reserves of appalachia, from the hydroelectric power which characterizes mitch o much of te american west to the oil fields of alaska, america is blessed with an almost boundless supply of energy wealth. from the time of this nation's founding, americans have sought to explore and develop this bounty. i'm pleased to note that in recent decades, we've become more responsible stewards of this endowment. last night, i held a telephone town hall meeting with many of my constituents, and the issues of gasoline prices and energy independence were raised repeatedly and certainly this is not surprising in light of the high gasoline prices we're facing today. as i told mississippians again last night during this town hall meeting, i favor an all-of-the-above approach to addressing america's energy needs. i have supported and continue to support innovation in the area of biofuels, geothermal power, wind and solar energy. and at the same time, however, we need to address current needs with currently available domestic energy resources, such as oil