Oil companies have access to millions of untapped American acres but cannot forget the one that got away.

Oil companies and many lawmakers are pressing to open up more U.S. areas for drilling. But the industry is drilling on just a fraction of areas it already has access to.

Of the 90 million offshore acres the industry has leases to, mostly in the Gulf of Mexico, it is estimated that upwards of 70 million are not producing oil, according to both Democrats and oil-industry sources.

One Democrat staffer said if all these existing areas were being drilled, U.S. oil production could be boosted by nearly 5 million barrels a day, although the oil industry said that number is far too high and one government agency said it was impossible to estimate productio

"Big Oil is more interested in pumping up prices and pumping up their own profits rather than pumping more oil," said Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass), who has co-sponsored a bill to charge oil companies a fee for land they hold that's not producing oil. "We should not even begin discussing handing over more public land to the oil companies until they first use [the land] they already hold."

Well the explanation for this is obvious.

You see oil companies are controlled by men. Men are compelled to conquer new virgin areas that they can impale and make their oil producing sluts. Its a guy thing.

It is not good enough that they have millions of subdued acres just waiting for them to use their huge drills to plunder their inky depths. No they want the cool untouchable ANWR who has successfully resisted every attempt they have made to conquer her. They are left excited by the prospects but disappointed by the results.

Every failed attempt simply fuels their lust and inflames their desire to tame the vast pristine body of land that lies to the north.

Now do you understand? And does anybody else feel like cuddling?