More drilling not best solution

Larry Burgess, Henderson

Friday, May 7, 2010 | 2:04 a.m.

The oil spill off the coast of Louisiana reminds us that we still have a serious energy problem that’s not simply going away on its own. Many people would have you believe that the solution to our energy problem is to just drill, drill and drill for more oil here at home. If only the solution were that simple.

Drilling for more oil here might solve our problem in the short term, but not the long term. It’s time to have a well thought-out and concise energy policy that will move us toward energy independence. Since the 1970s, we have continued to import a larger and larger percentage of our oil.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that our dependence on foreign oil has become a national security issue. Yet, when was the last time you heard anyone on Capitol Hill talk about that?

Unfortunately, the problems related to energy have become highly politicized with both parties refusing to come to any agreement that would benefit the country.

The use of renewable sources of energy and development of better and advanced technologies leading to energy conservatism are the keys. We need to approach our energy problem the way we approached the building of the atomic bomb in World War II.

We should have a Manhattan Project-type energy program. The sooner, the better. Of course, don’t hold your breath waiting for both parties to realize that.