Letter: Viable energy policy requires good leadership

Monday, May 2, 2005 | 9:22 a.m.

The Bush administration has no real energy policy. The price of gasoline at the pump clearly shows that. The Bush people will tell you that the answer to the problem of rising prices at the pump is to open the Alaskan wilderness to drilling. What they don't tell you is that the oil from the wilderness area might not be part of our energy supply for several years. They also don't talk about the fact that the new oil from Alaska may never make it down to the lower 48 states. Much or all of that oil may be sold to China or Japan.

It's time for the United States to develop both a short- and long-term plan leading to energy independence. Some people, mostly right-wing conservatives, would have you believe that energy independence is impossible to achieve. But we have always been able to build a better mouse trap when we have seen the need to do so!

The continued use of alternative fuels should be at the basis of our plans. The Southwest could be a haven for the development and use of solar and wind technology. The government needs to get involved with grants and tax incentives to get the private sector interested. The American farmer can and would provide a steady supply of corn for ethanol fuel if the government would meet him halfway by offering tax breaks and loans to build additional ethanol plants in the heartland.

With the right leadership, the possibilities are endless.

LARRY BURGESS