A few decades ago Maine had no oil shortage. America produced most of its needed supply by drilling and refining within its own geographical boundaries . Maine also had hydroelectric sites and as the years passed a nuclear power plant was added along with biomass power producers such as MERC and the plant at the Sappi Westbrook mill. Many homes were heated by wood or coal. In the 1950’s my family lived three miles from town and I and others walked, rode a bicycle or sought rides from friends or parents to attend work, school or recreational activities.

All of these things together helped make the cost of energy affordable for Maine and the Nation.

But today, Augusta is desperately seeking additional Federal funding to help supply heating oil to people whose incomes fall short of enabling them to heat their homes and at the same time meet a multitude of increasing costs of living, all of which are affected by the skyrocketing price of crude oil.

There has not been a new oil refinery built in this country for over thirty years. Existing wells have been capped and exploration is severely limited by regulations imposed at the insistence of environmental lobbyists. The vast majority of our oil is imported from countries who, charitably can be described as not having our best interests in mind.

How to improve this dire situation?

With our energy profile currently overly-dependent upon petroleum, it would seem to make sense to pursue with haste alternative energy sources while increasing our domestic oil producing and refining capacity. I don’t see this happening without strong and creative actions from our political leaders at all levels.

Unfortunately, the immediate reaction from Gov. Baldacci and our entire Congressional delegation was to repudiate the concept of initiating offshore drilling because that could possibly damage Maine’s fishing industry, overlooking the fact that Maine’s fishermen are already severely hampered by Federal regulations and further frustrated by overfishing near our territorial limits by foreign ships and crews.

I use this example to help identify the problems we face in utilizing our bountiful natural resources to ease our energy problems.

In addition, wind power projects are blocked here in Maine by conservation groups (Friends of the Appalachian Trail, for one) who object to windmills on grounds varying from ruining the “esthetic value” of our mountains to speculation on the devastation of migrating birds encountering the towers. Sen. Ted Kennedy has repeatedly blocked windmills being located offshore and visible from the Kennedy compound on the Massachusetts coastline. And nuclear power is an unacceptable option for some, although there are foreign countries (France, for one) who have safely and economically embraced that source of power. Hydroelectric plants, once plentiful here in Maine, now are few in number and are still decreasing, the dams creating that source of power now termed “destructive” for impeding the “natural flow” of rivers.

One last issue: we should not overlook the possibility that a concentrated effort to weaken the economy of the United States through oil price manipulation might be an additional tactic utilized by radical elements of Islam in the ongoing war against the West. After all, one of the most effective tactics resulting in the fall of the USSR was pressure on many fronts that undermined the already shaky Soviet economic structure.

These examples indicate that our politicians and administrations, at all levels, Federal and State, have studiously avoided the mounting energy problem for decades, unwilling to alienate blocks of voters whose support helps them maintain their myriad and bountiful privileges.

An individual can save money on a personal basis by restricting his or her use of energy, but I doubt if conservation alone is going to influence the rising costs of gasoline, heating oil and electricity that produce negative effects on our economy . The growing energy needs of nations such as China and India will more than make up for any reductions achieved by America’s citizens.

For many of us on fixed incomes the price of implementing alternative energy systems such as solar, wind power or geo-thermal systems, with any cost savings a decade or more in the future, is sufficient reason to swallow hard and bear the increasing costs of heating and transportation.

It appears to me that increasing our stores of domestic petroleum, coal and natural gas is a necessary stopgap measure because without such actions our national economy and accompanying welfare is in continuing danger from outside influences – some of whom would be delighted to see us fall from our position of global influence and power. We need time to study, choose and develop alternative energy sources.

Only if we can unite in applying pressure to our political class, will they begin to seriously address our future. But we must agree to act en masse, insisting that our needs be recognized and acted upon by our “leaders” at all levels and voting out those who seek only the privileges of their political status rather than focusing on the welfare of the nation and its citizens as a whole.

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