Energy Policy

* Gregg Easterbrook’s “The Energy Trap” (Opinion, March 25) is right on. I remember well the long gasoline lines in the 1970s. Automobile plants were asked to come up with better mileage for their cars. Chrysler did, but the others were let off the hook.

Now we have the SUVs and are back to 65-mph speed limits. Easterbrook states that “America’s energy problems are caused by Americans.” True, but who allowed the gasoline guzzlers to be manufactured in the first place? As Easterbrook says, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham should consider “fuel economy and vehicle miles per gallon” in addition to oil production.

LUCILE BUCK

Cerritos

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The decision by OPEC to cut oil production by 4% has caused the United States to cower in fear. It is this display of fear that allows the constant exploitation of the American consumer. The economy of the United States should not depend on the cost of fueling a car. This situation should prompt our nation’s leaders to examine our dependency on an outside source to provide a natural resource that is a necessity in our daily lives.

President Bush’s proposal to explore the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling is not a solution to the problem. That land was specifically set aside to preserve the beauty of nature. To deface it would be a horrible tragedy not only for the creatures that inhabit it, but also for future generations. Conservation of oil and energy is a solution that is simple, yet easier said than done.

JANE HOANG

Gardena