Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Published: July 14, 2008

U.S. energy policy lacking common sense
Michael Whorley’s math in his July 11 letter to the editor doesn’t add up. He deplores “drill, baby, drill,” but his solution might better be called “walk, baby, walk.”

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The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that the offshore continental shelf and ANWR together contain about 22 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves in areas off-limits to drilling. With a typical reserve life of 15 years, this could supply as much as 4 million barrels of oil per day (Mbpd), offsetting one-third of our present imports. There’s no excuse for perpetuating the senseless moratorium on drilling.

Of the 20 Mbpd now consumed in the U.S., more than 80 percent is used for transportation. There are about 220 million cars and light trucks on the road in the nation.

In a good year, 15 million new cars and light trucks are produced and sold. So, if everyone were required to buy a hybrid (unlikely) that improves mileage efficiency by 40 percent, it would take 15 years to upgrade the fleet — more than the time required to drill offshore and in ANWR.

Conservation by itself is not a realistic solution to our near-term supply shortage. There is no viable alternative to liquid fuel for transportation. The technologies of hydrogen fuel cells and advanced batteries are nowhere near mature enough to be considered a substitute for most drivers in the foreseeable future.

There are many viable sources of petroleum: enhanced extraction from existing fields, heavy oil deposits, oil sands, oil shale, coal-to-liquid, and gas-to liquid conversion and even biofuels. Each of these requires enormous investment in new extraction or processing plants and lead times similar to development of the continental shelf and ANWR.

The oil shale deposits in the western U.S. are our largest domestic reserve, but Congress has also put this resource off-limits.

Let’s hope that the next administration and Congress have the good sense to lift restraints on exploitation of all potential domestic sources of petroleum and means of conservation, and the intelligence to let the free market determine which are the most economical.
ROBERT BATCHELDER
Lynchburg

The good and the bad
I was surprised that the June 29 News & Advance devoted four pages and eight pictures to the feature, “The Rites of Life: Of Age.” I will allow that the feature included some important information.

The same edition carried the disturbing news that Arise is closing and that The Gateway is in danger of closing — two organizations that are helping people to rebuild their lives after addiction.
JOHN W. JOHNSON
Lynchburg

Trashy bums!
Who are the jerks who throw their garbage and trash in my yard, your yard and the streets of Lynchburg?

If they can afford their cigarettes, Hardees and McDonalds, they can surely afford a garbage can!

BETTY ROBERTS
Lynchburg