The no-drill oil policy isn't working

"We can't drill our way out of the energy crisis."

Bull.

Between ANWR, shale and offshore, we could easily increase our output by 50 percent. We'd be energy independent and not beholden to anyone except polar bears and tree huggers.

"Oil companies are sitting on 68 million acres of oil leases and refuse to drill."

Wrong.

Big bad oil's spent billions for those leases and drilling has increased 66 percent since 2000.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn't mention that 94 percent of federal lands (658 million acres) and 97 percent (1.7 billion acres) offshore are off limits to drilling.

Our wonderful elected congressional representatives have shown themselves to be totally irresponsible and apparently supportive of our close friends Venezuela, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, among others.

"Even if drilling works, it'll take a decade or more for the oil to flow."

Wrong again.

Try maybe three or four years. But open up the aforementioned areas and prices will drop because markets would discount future oil prices for the anticipated increase in supply.

The no-drill policy of Democrats and some so-called Republicans ain't working.

James A. Wagner

Barrington