Increase fuel efficiency and domestic supply

Tom Keller, Henderson

Thursday, May 22, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.

The politicians tell us the opposition party is the reason nothing has been done to solve the oil supply problem. But blaming someone else won’t solve the problem. And subsidizing impractical alternative fuels only costs us more in taxes. The real problem is a lack of political leadership.

We haven’t had control of our energy future since the OPEC embargo. No one since then has made the hard decisions, so now we are totally at the mercy of foreign suppliers. Our so-called leaders need to stand up to the special interests and make the unpopular decisions that will keep the problem from destroying our economy.

Vehicle fuel economy standards must be accelerated and broadened. This will require focusing on replacing gas-powered cars with electric-powered cars and on big fuel economy gains for light trucks.

And domestic oil supplies must be increased. The oil companies are buying back shares of their stock because there aren’t enough places to profitably drill. Open up the Alaskan wilderness and offshore areas, and that would change tomorrow. The risk to the environment is no more than if the oil comes in from overseas.

We can no longer afford to be held hostage to the misguided ideas of a few overzealous environmentalists. What we need is more oil to tide us over until conservation measures start making a difference.