My 2 cents (or, "not that you care, Senator, but here goes ...")

September 13, 2006


Senator Larry E. Craig
United States Senate
520 Hart Building
Washington, DC 20510-0001

RE: Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006
Energy policy issues

Dear Senator Craig:

I received your correspondence dated August 25, 2006, in response to my letter and request to you concerning the above-referenced legislation. I appreciate your response to my inquiry.

However, Senator, I could not be any less impressed with the shortsightedness of your response, and your approach to energy policy in general. I do not need to tell you how serious of a problem our country has with oil dependence. We rely too heavily on oil, and therefore must use military force to protect our oil interests in the Middle East and surrounding regions. We spend billions of dollars in foreign aid to countries in that region, again to protect our oil interests. We send brave young men and women to their deaths to protect our oil supply.

Your answer, Senator? Drill for more oil.
Drill for more oil, regardless of the cost,
regardless of the loss of innocent human lives (American and Iraqi),
regardless of the environmental impact of oil drilling and development,
regardless of the environmental impact of fossil fuel burning,
or regardless of the fact that this policy simply furthers our oil dependence.

Senator, your policies are ridiculous, short-sighted, dangerous, deadly, harmful to our planet, and do nothing to address our dependence on oil.

I urge you to consider more intelligent and more long-term solutions. We need to focus our efforts on actions that will actually help, rather than the nonsense you have advocated to date.
I urge you to advocate the following:

1. Increasing fuel efficiency standards in automobiles
2. Increasing research and development funding for alternative energy sources
3. Promoting a progressive tax code which penalizes energy consumption and rewards alternative energy usage and development
4. Focusing funding on developing solar and wind energy, instead of paying for oil wars in the Middle East
5. Educating the American public about the dangers of oil dependence and further drilling, and the benefits and advantages of developing alternative energy sources, and
6. Educating the American public about the advantages and benefits of energy conservation

I recognize that promoting and advocating increased fuel efficiency standards carries a political risk. However, as persons educated on energy issues are well aware, even a minor increase in CAFÉ standards would reduce oil consumption by billions of gallons of oil each year, thereby reducing oil dependence.

Although this should not be a partisan issue, it clearly is. You and your party have an absolutely atrocious record, especially in the past 10 years, concerning energy-related issues. These should be issues which you and your party begin to embrace, for America, for American citizens, for your constituents, and for the health and safety of our planet. I strongly urge you to reconsider your entire approach to energy issues, starting with the legislation at issue and with CAFÉ standards.

Thank you for your attention hereto. I look forward to a more intelligent and enlightened approach from you concerning energy policy.

Sincerely,

(peacecart)