We have all experienced the cost of gasoline prices climbing to painful levels. There is just not enough oil available to meet demand. Not even close. So prices rise. The president is taking a lot of criticism for this. The president’s solution to increase the supply of gasoline? Siphoning off of the nation’s strategic reserve. The plan is to release 1 million barrel of oil a day for six months. That’s a lot!

The purpose of our strategic oil reserve is for true national emergencies such as war. It is not to deflect the blame a president may be experiencing because of poor decisions. And what is the president’s plan to replenish these 180 million barrels?? I’m not hearing that.

Dipping into our strategic reserve is an expensive and temporary way to increase the supply of oil. There is a much better way right below our feet. We should begin again to pump and refine our own oil. Leave the strategic reserve alone for now. Thanks to the president’s prior poor decisions, it will take some time for us to see lower gas prices. But it will work.

Perhaps the future of transportation is electric. But before we are forced down that road let’s get the infrastructure in place first. Until then let’s make our own gasoline rather than make a mess the future generations have to deal with and cleanup.

Robert Sochor

Bowling Green