According to the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration, the drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would meet less than 3 percent of our nation's future oil consumption at its peak output that would be at least 20 years from today. Subsequently, drilling would have a paltry effect (read: mere pennies) on the price at the pump, not to mention the irreversible harm it would cause to one of the world's last great remaining wildernesses.

Coal liquefaction would prove similarly disastrous for our environment. Fossil fuels can no longer be the answer, and the days of cheap energy have come and gone. It's time for substantive investment in the research and development of clean renewable energy as well as political prodding to encourage conservation. America, once an institution of innovation, can no longer play bystander while the world races to find solutions for tomorrow's energy needs.

Jacob Budin

junior-English and marketing