This is a response to Rick D. Sylte’s April 30 letter against drilling for oil in Alaska National Wildlife Reserve and his slam of President Bush (“Drilling for oil: Leave pristine wildlife refuge alone”).
He says he’s never been to Alaska and belongs to no environmental groups, but he’s not shy about telling the rest of us just what policy should be in this place he’s never been. I’ve lived and worked in Alaska and have belonged to many environmental groups and I still think we should take the oil out of ANWR. This doesn’t mean I want to. I’d rather we left it alone.
This country runs on oil. We could be entering an ever-widening war in the Middle East and oil may be used as a weapon against us. Drilling would take place on a very small part of ANWR. Although predicted to decline, caribou around the Alaska pipeline are doing great and their numbers have quadrupled. They will do fine in ANWR whether it’s drilled or not. Ask the local people and you will find a large majority favor drilling.
We and our gas-guzzling cars and lifestyles are what created and keep Big Oil going! Big Oil and the auto companies are responding to our demands. I would like to see us import no Arab oil. But until we all take this problem seriously and quit wasting energy, nothing will change. Until we find alternative energy sources, fact is, we need oil. Lots of oil. Without oil, life as we know it stops.
Camano Island
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