In last weekís Clipper former Congressman Jim Hansen stated the following, ìThe biggest thing in this yearís election should be energy.î Rep. Hansen who chaired the Natural Resources committee while in Washington and is now a consultant on an oil recovery project near Vernal also said, ìThe extreme environmentalists seem to run Congress. They challenge everything in court. ##M:MORE##Are we all going to walk or ride a skateboard?î Senator Orrin Hatch agreed with the former congressman by stating, ìIím for every other form of energy but Iím also a realist. Last I checked, planes, trucks and ships all run on fossil fuel. Weíve been stifled by the liberals and environmentalists. Who needs enemies when these people are making the laws?î

Itís pretty easy to blame our energy crisis on ìliberals and environmentalistsî but as my old employer used to say, ìwhen you point your finger at others you better realize that there are three fingers pointing back at you.î

It would be easy to say that the failed energy and international relation policies (or the lack of them) of President Bushís eight- year administration, the war in Iraq, and unscrupulous profiteering by oil speculators has in effect brought us to this energy economic nightmare, but maybe we should stop trying to point fingers at each other and work together to find solutions that will help everyday Americans get back on their feet.

One solution out there comes from U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon who is urging Congress to require oil companies to use their drilling permits or lose them. Gordon cites a report from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources that states that the federal government has issued thousands of leases that are not being used to drill on public land. According to this report, it is estimated from todayís production rates that 68 million acres of federal land that is leased, but not drilled, could nearly double total U.S. oil production and could increase gas production by more than 50 percent.

Rep. Gordon said, ìIf companies used the permits they are holding and increased domestic production, the United States could cut oil imports by one-third. Congress needs to send a message to oil companies and tell them they canít just stockpile leases to artificially inflate oil prices.î

Oil shale can be mined using one of two methods: underground mining using the room-and-pillar method or surface mining. After mining, the oil shale is transported to a facility for retorting, a heating process that separates the oil fractions of oil shale from the mineral fraction. While current technologies are adequate for oil shale mining, the technology for surface retorting has not been successfully applied at a commercially viable level in the U.S., although technical viability has been demonstrated. Further development and testing of surface retorting technology is needed before the method is likely to succeed on a commercial scale.

Pointing fingers isnít going to solve our energy crisis. We need to look at the facts and understand those facts. Politicians like former Rep. Hansen have learned that it is easier to blame the other side, especially when it helps push the publicís opinion towards their agenda, but maybe itís time for politicians to work together and put U.S. citizens first instead of using fear and divisive language to achieve their personal agendas.



Rob Miller, Davis Democratic Party Chair