Arctic drilling, research both needed

Michelle Churchman, Pahrump

Friday, May 16, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.

Wednesday’s article “Voters, pick your fix for gas prices” illustrates the typically shortsighted thinking that’s rampant in our government. There is the Republican view that we should drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge poised against the Democrats’ call for alternative energy research. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive.

As a Democrat, I am loath to drill in the refuge. However, I’d have to be an idiot not to concede that Sen. John Ensign is probably correct that committing to that policy would calm fears and help drive down the cost of oil — at least in the short term.

But any Republican who thinks that this can be the end-all of our energy policy is insane. Oil is not an infinite resource. One day we will need to have these alternative energy resources in place. It would be best to start working on them before the situation is critical.

Since the situation is already dire, the solution is to do both. Drill in the refuge (yes, I hate to say it) and seriously commit to funding and supporting alternative energy research and application. However, these two things must be tied together. To decide to drill alone without alternative energy research is folly; it’s putting off the inevitable. Tied together, the drilling may buy us the time we need to get our alternative energy systems in place.

Jeez, we could put a man on the moon; surely we can get our energy policy under control.