LETTERS TO THE EDITOR — May 6, 2026

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 6, 2026

More than enough oil

What is the point of energy independence? We have more than enough oil for our needs. The problem is that oil is traded on the global marketplace. So, even though we have enough for our needs, our prices reflect the world market. Why? Our government does few things well, but a case could be made for our government to run the oil industry here in the United States and take us off the world market.

Of course, the democrats would have to be on board with oil, and not trying to eliminate it. Take the BPA for instance. Even with all the waste, fraud, and abuse I witnessed during my career there, this federal agency delivers electric power to our local utilities at a very competitive rate. If it were cheaper, the east coast would find a way to muck it up.

By the way, have you seen the electric car chargers that are powered by diesel powered generators? So now electric cars are just storage for diesel power. My niece just took her Tesla from Castle Rock, Washington to Colville and back. She ended up staying in Ellensburg overnight both ways to facilitate charging. My friend just bought a small electric car. I asked if it would be feasible to take a car like that to Spokane to see my son. She said, “Oh, you would never drive this to Spokane. It would take you four days to get there.”

Remember to add in motel stays to your electric car charging budget. We live in the greatest country on the planet. Still, there are so many ways we could do better.

Mark A. White

Port Angeles