To the Editor:

Are the folks in Congress hell bent on destroying our national security and economy? Why are they standing in the way of developing our own energy resources? They created a Department of Energy in 1977, in response to the Arab oil embargo, to work toward energy independence and we’re in worse shape now than we were then. Can anyone tell me what that department has accomplished with the billions of dollars budgeted for its operations?

We don’t drill for oil in our own country or offshore. Zero oil refineries built in the past 30+ years. Ditto for nuclear power plants. We have coal, oil shale, natural gas, all within our borders that would reduce our reliance for energy from foreign countries that are not totally friendly to the U.S.

Why aren’t we using our own resources instead of begging other countries to increase their outputs?

This country is competing for energy with all other nations. Developing countries (eg. China, India, Malaysia) have ever increasing needs for energy. World oil production is currently 86 million barrels daily and demand is 87 million barrels. Congress couldn’t see this coming? Perhaps because they’ve been so busy holdings hearings on baseball players?

We need a stable supply of oil for the foreseeable future, not just for vehicles but for the thousands of products which use petroleum in their manufacture. Our nation’s security is at risk to supplies from a highly unstable Middle East. Any upheaval in that region could prove catastrophic to our security and economy. Energy conservation, wind, solar and other alternatives will not be sufficient for this country to maintain our current economic status, let alone allow it to grow. And please, mandating corn- based, ethanol-burning food for fuel-the kind of absolute stupidity we have sadly come to expect from Washington.

The solution to our problem is obvious – open up all of our own energy resources now!

If Congress continues to do nothing, other than block all development of our own resources, imagine the bigger mess we’ll be in five, 10, 20 years from now.

It’s time Congress started putting this nation’s well being and national security first and quit playing party politics! If they can’t do it, they should resign and make room for someone who can.

Thomas F. Berry

John Day