Editor:
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, commenting on the Senate's April 18th vote not to allow oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge said, " At a time when oil and gas prices are rising, the Senate today missed an opportunity to lead America to greater energy independence." I disagree. The real opportunity for our energy independence was missed last year when Vice President Cheney's Energy Task Force, dominated by representatives from the oil, gas, coal, and nuclear industries, met behind closed doors to develop our National Energy Policy. It focuses on more fossil fuel production and pays only lip service to developing renewable energy sources and conservation programs.
The United States with three percent of the world's known oil reserves uses a quarter of the oil produced worldwide. Something has to give. We can face that reality now and get serious about developing alternative energy sources and through new and more efficient technology actually decrease our energy demands. This new emphasis will provide stable jobs, increase our national security by decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, and help to improve our environment. We can avoid a crisis situation in the future and have a smooth transition away from our virtual complete dependence on fossil fuels if we start now. Governor John Engler of Michigan is touting his state's NextEnergy plan as a blueprint for making Michigan the world's leader in the development of alternative energy technologies. New Mexico should be following a similar course and promoting itself as an ideal location for research and development of solar and wind energy.
The Bush Administration's all out assault on federal public land to increase oil and gas production is unnecessary, unwise, and apparently pretty unpopular with many diverse groups in the west. All federal public-lands agencies have been ordered by the White House to expedite their review of permits for projects related to energy production or transmission. This translates into ignoring environmental concerns, down playing the importance of other land uses, and getting those rigs out on the ground. Presently there are millions of acres of federal land open to oil and gas leasing in New Mexico and secondary recovery methods are greatly improving and revitalizing existing fields. We need to think about our future, our health, and the environment and let our representatives know that we do not support the Bush Administration's single-minded emphasis on drilling our public lands.
Unspoiled areas like Otero Mesa are few and far between and deserve protection. Otero Mesa is less than a two-hour drive from my home in Carlsbad and I go there often to hike, camp, ride my bike and enjoy the wildlife and peace and quiet. The contrast between Otero Mesa and many areas around Carlsbad that have been ravaged by oil and gas development is like day and night. Wild areas like Otero Mesa are New Mexico at it's best and one of the main reasons this truly is The Land of Enchantment.
Greta Balderrama
Carlsbad, NM
Published in the Carlsbad Current-Argus 4-23-2002.