Drilling

There is no reason that the U.S. shouldn't be energy independent in 10 years. Yes, we would have to drill some more, but as Peter Morici points out ("Obama's bad bet," April 3), we would manage the environmental issues much better than others. The geopolitical and economic upside would be enormous. Solar (I do have a solar-powered water heater) and wind can be good supplements, but we have to wean ourselves from being dependent on Middle East and Latin American countries. Lyle Rescott, Marriottsville

Gov.Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s column on American energy independence is flawed in several respects ("Road to energy independence goes through ANWR and Keystone," March 11). He argues we need to drill for more oil, construct a distribution pipeline and open up more offshore wells. But the fact is that today the U.S. is awash in crude oil, in greater quantities than ever in our history. The problem isn't a shortage of crude oil but our limited capacity to refine it into gasoline, which has led to shortages and high prices.

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.thinks the "Road to energy independence goes through ANWR, Keystone" (March 11). I disagree. America has 2 percent of the world's oil reserves, and we use 20 percent of the worlds oil. So we could pump as fast as possible and what would we achieve? We would have some very happy politicians and gas customers for a few years. Once our oil was gone, the Middle East and Venezuela and Nigeria would have us in a real neckhold! And of course our children would be going off to war, losing their arms, legs and lives so we can have "cheap" oil. I don't call that cheap oil. To me having my grandsons come home damaged or not at all, just so that I can continue to drive my oversized SUV or pickup, is not cheap oil. The politicians who would give us $2.50 a gallon oil for a short time would be retired and prospering with their huge pensions, their big bribes from their lobbyist friends and the other multi-million dollar retirement packages that all politicians seem to acquire.

A study of how or whether to allow a controversial drilling method for extracting natural gas in Western Maryland cannot be finished without funding, state officials told lawmakers Tuesday. O'Malley administration officials joined environmentalists in supporting a bill that would pay for their year-old study of hydraulic fracturing by levying a fee on the estimated 150,000 acres leased for gas exploration in Garrett and Allegany counties. Business and oil industry representatives opposed the fee, arguing that it could dampen prospects for drilling to boost the economically depressed region.

President Obama's State of the Union speech to Congress last night focused largely on jobs, taxes and income inequality, but it had plenty of red meat in it for those concerned about energy and the environment. He vowed to continue to push for "clean energy" while touting the economic potential of shale gas and defending environmental regulations.  He defended government incentives for developing solar, wind and high-tech battery industries, but called for an end to longstanding subsidies for the oil and gas industry.  "It's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has been more profitable and double down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising," he said.  But he renewed his call for an "all-out, all-of-the-above strategy" to develop every available source of American energy, and said he was directing his administration to open up more than 75 percent of potential offshore oil and gas resources for drilling.

In response to the recent letter written by Elizabeth Fixsen ("Paul is anti-war - but otherwise extremist," Jan. 5), I suggest that Ms. Fixsen check her facts. She states that Ron Paul is anti-abortion. The fact is Mr. Paul, a physician, does not personally believe in abortion, but he does not believe that it is the government's right to stop a woman from having one. Big difference. He is anti-Federal Reserve. Anyone who has witnessed how the Fed has ruined our economy would be crazy to still support the Fed's actions.

I am glad to see the Sunpaper via Tim Wheeler has again cast some light on the gas/Marcellus shale exploration and land leasing problems in the western part of our state ("Second thoughts on gas leasing," Jan. 1). It should come as no surprise to us that the drilling operators and contractors refuse to reveal the down side of their operations or the shortcomings of their property leases; one has only to look at our neighbors to the north and what has happened to their water supplies, their roads and streams.

A top federal scientist says more research is needed into possible health and environmental effects from shale gas drilling. Dr. Christopher Portier, director of the National Center for Environmental Health, said in an email to the Associated Press that studies to date have failed to settle questions about the potential impact of shale gas drilling and the hydraulic fracturing technique being used to extract the gas. “Studies should...

Thank you for another wonderful article concerning the problems with drilling ("Gas firms don't disclose all drilling risks, group reports," Dec. 12). Just three hours north of Baltimore in Sullivan County, Pa. is a quiet community called Eagles Mere - also known as The Town that Time Forgot. It has been a summer retreat over a hundred years and also has great hiking, fishing, kayaking and lovely forests. It, too, has recently been facing the many problems created by fracking so it is good to have those problems brought to the public's attention.

On Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, members of Harford County's first responder agencies and the Harford County Emergency Operations Center will be holding an emergency drill at a specified area of its campus. This exercise will allow the hospital to test its readiness for rare, but critical emergency scenarios. "It's important to make our neighbors, visitors and patients aware of this exercise since we will have a fair number of first responders, including law enforcement, fire and EMS, on-site to make the drill as 'real' as possible," Martha D. Mallonee, director of corporate communications, marketing and public relations for Upper Chesapeake Health, wrote in an email.