Daily Record
April 17, 2009, Opinion: Stephen Widuta

To the Editor:

On April 2, you ran a letter from Kara Seymour of the New Jersey Sierra Club touting the environmental accomplishments of President Obama. She failed to mention that Obama recently signed an omnibus spending bill that set aside nearly 1.1 million acres of public land in the west. Most of the land is in the high plains of Wyoming, Colorado and Montana.

I am for saving land as much as the next person, but this land is unique in that under the surface lies the largest deposit of oil shale in the continental United States. That area is now off limits to coal, oil and natural gas exploration and development. The loss of the coal, oil and gas reserves in the west and the anticipated, if not actual, closure of the outer continental shelf to exploration and development will make the United States more dependent on the despots who run the majority of energy exporting nations. The flow of energy at a free market price is the lifeblood of a thriving economy. Choking the supply from any source or manipulating the price will result in a less stable economy and an America at risk. Recent history underscores that point.

But there is more. When energy supplies fall and prices rise, like they did last year, big oil companies will be blamed. I cannot help but think this will be another "crisis" too important to leave to a market solution and will necessitate the highest level of governmental intervention. Obama and his minions have done us a great disservice.

STEPHEN WIDUTA

Denville