Doug Korthof argues: It is a phony and divisive argument to want to drill for more oil to "solve" the oil crisis. There are concrete steps that need to be taken:

1. Use EV cars, trucks and busses where ever possible, hooked up to plentiful off-hours electricity. This means EXPANDING the ZEV mandate, not curtailing it.
2. Enforce pollution controls on diesel, off-road, and SUV vehicles, which are just a blatant loophole in the law--so called SUV are exempt because they were represented as "not a passenger vehicle". Yet they are mostly driven to work, not to the wilderness or the snow.
3. Raise taxes on low-mpg vehicles such as SUV, or enforce a surtax on vehicles that have gas tanks bigger than 10 gallons.
4. Nurture, rather than bash, the enthusiastic cadre of EV drivers who have proven that EVs are reliable, fun and eco-satisfying to drive.

This Dog Won't Hunt: Plan for Arctic Drilling is Barking Up Wrong Tree

After steadfastly opposing common-sense strategies to lower oil prices, Senator Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) today launched a battle to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Rather than working to reduce America's addiction to foreign oil, Sen. Murkowski would allow oil drilling in the fragile Arctic Refuge, destroying an area known as "America's Serengeti," home to polar bears, wolves and migratory birds and the calving grounds for the 129,000-member Porcupine River Caribou Herd.
Sen. Murkowski wants to let his buddies in the oil industry drill for oil that might not even be there, in the wilderness areas of the American Serengeti. Yet Sen. Murkowski has consistently opposed sensible, sustainable solutions to our energy needs. Now he suddenly wants to be our savior? It is only fair that we respond with skepticism.
Thankfully, there are other solutions that will work:

1. Stop exporting Alaskan oil to other countries. If America so desperately needs Alaska's crude, why are we exporting North Slope crude to Asia in record amounts? We had a ban on the export of Alaskan crude oil until 1995. Guess who sponsored the legislation to repeal the ban? Senator Murkowski.
   
2. Require automakers to use existing technology to improve automobile fuel economy, so we don't need as much foreign oil. Over 40 percent of the oil we use in this county goes into our cars and trucks -- raising the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (CAFE) is the biggest single step to saving oil. Yet Congress has stymied attempts to raise our nation's CAFE standards. Guess who voted the wrong way? Senator Murkowski.
   
3. Ensure that the oil industry remains competitive, and avoid a monopoly on Alaskan oil that could raise prices even higher. British Petroleum wants to take over Arco which would create an Alaskan oil monopoly, and lead to a stranglehold on domestic supply and local pump prices. Guess who is supporting the merger? Senator Murkowski.
4. "Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be as foolhardy as damming the Grand Canyon for hydroelectric power or tapping Old Faithful for geothermal energy," said Melinda Pierce, Senior Washington Representative for the Sierra Club. "America cannot drill its way to energy independence. We import more than half of our oil and America contains less than 3 percent of the world's known oil reserves. We need a long-term energy strategy that is based upon conservation and renewables, alternative energy sources, and raising the fuel economy standards for automobiles and light trucks.">