GAS: Why $5 a gallon?

The Bakken stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada. The oil reserves in the Bakken will provide 500 billion barrels and because it is light sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 a barrel.

That's enough oil to fully fuel the American economy for 2,041 years straight. Then we have the reserves that are beneath the Rocky Mountains wherein lies the largest untapped oil reserves in the world. It is more than 2 trillion barrels. The largest oil reserves in the world.

Why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling, there is absolutely no need for it. We have more oil inside our borders than all the other proven reserves on Earth. As Americans, we should be demanding that the government allow all these oil reserves to be utilized, there is absolutely no reason why we should be dependant on foreign oil, there is no reason why we should be paying more than $16 per barrel of oil.

Unlocking our oil reserves would create jobs, provide cheaper gas and oil, and end any dependency on foreign oil. The only thing that prevents this from happening is our legislators in whom we invest our faith, and there in lies the problem, our faith is being ignored.

LARRY KETTLE

Coeur d'Alene