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To the editor:
Although recent fuel prices have dropped slightly, they are and have been outrageously high for the past few years.
This increase significantly drives up the cost of transportation, food, heat, goods and even vacations (if you can afford them).
As most of us know, fuel prices affect just about everything. Moving our raw materials, finished goods and even ourselves are necessary to economically meet our supply and demand needs. This is a good thing since we are more able make a better life for us all. It is not a good thing to pay higher prices for fuel when there is no need.
We are finding that our country has a great deal more accessible fuel resources then we could even hope for just 10 years ago.
There are very large oil shale resources in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming referred to as the Green River Formation. It is conservatively estimated to have 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
North Dakota is producing over 500,000 barrels of oil per day and that number is expected to double in three years. Most of the drilling is on private lands thus avoiding a great deal of the governmental nonsense. This state is doing very well (unemployment at 3.5 percent despite an influx of out-of-state people looking for jobs).
We are discovering more and more natural gas in the U.S. and better ways to harvest it. Historically we had to import natural gas at various times. But now, our technology has improved so much that we plan on exporting 40 billion to 80 billion cubic meters per year (2015) while supplying our domestic needs.
The U.S. has always had a very vast amount of coal. There is a 250-year supply of coal at this time. With greater exploration, as would be the case with oil, we probably would uncover even more. At any given time, coal is supplying 37 percent to 52 percent of our electrical power needs. If our government worked more with the industry rather than against it, we would currently have cleaner existing plants and newly constructed plants would be even cleaner (they may become even cleaner than nuclear plants today).
Nuclear power currently supplies 19.6 percent of our electrical power in the U.S. Despite exaggerated claims of problems, nuclear power is safe and clean. Considering that France gets nearly 80% of its electrical power from nuclear plants, it is grossly underused in this country. Utilizing our ever- improving technology, it could safely be expanded to 25 percent in the U.S.
There are even more noteworthy sources of legitimate energy that are in our country but the point is obvious.
We do have the resources to reduce our energy costs in half and do it cleanly. Harvesting these resources would reduce the unemployment level significantly. It would provide more Americans with jobs.
So why aren't we doing it? I believe we all know why. I am afraid that this administration has stood in the way almost immediately.
They have blocked the Keystone Pipeline (oil from Canada). They have stopped Gulf drilling with unjustified injunction after injunction. They virtually stopped issuing permits for oil exploration on any government controlled land. They have put roadblocks in the way of any oil development in this country with the unjustifiable excuse of environmental or safety concerns even though we are dealing with proven technology. It just does not make sense that if oil exploration is so wrong why did this administration loan money to Brazil for their oil exploration.
Does it make sense that our own government is weakening its own citizens by making them spend more for their energy needs? Does it make sense that our government is making our enemies stronger by forcing us to buy oil from them?
This government — or really, the administration — just does not make sense. I will be voting to get rid of them.
Anybody, is better than this administration. I hope you join me.
JOHN KOLACKOVSKY
Phillips Avenue, Rockport
