U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann called for more domestic drilling Tuesday following a congressional energy tour in Alaska and Colorado. According to Bachman, the United States harbors domestic energy resources that could easily provide Americans with gas-price relief.

“It’s almost like you have a kitchen full of little children that are hungry and want to eat,” the Minnesota Republican said. “The pantry has a lock on the door, but the pantry is filled with food.”

During the tour, which was led by House GOP Leader John Boehner (Ohio), the group stopped at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Bachmann said she would like to see the area open to drilling.

Bachmann said she believes the refuge’s oil deposits are extractable without causing environmental harm. Environmentalists, however, disagree with Bachmann’s statement.

Bachmann also said areas such as Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana may house oil sources like the Outer Continental Shelf and ANWR.

The statements on energy resources made by the U.S. representative Tuesday aren’t her first. In recent months, Bachmann has suggested that gas prices could drop back to $2 per gallon if the country focused more on energy development.

However, Bachmann has said she favors other solutions to the energy crisis, citing the need for tax credits that would encourage automakers to build fuel-efficient motor vehicles.

Former transportation commissioner and Bachmann’s challenger in the state’s Sixth Congressional District, Elwyn Tinklenberg agrees country is in need of improved domestic energy production. Tinklenberg, however, believes the ANWR should be left alone for now.

“She presents the false hope that we can drill our way out, against all the evidence to the contrary,” Tinklenberg said.