Find real solutions for rising gas prices

"DRILLING FOR snake oil" concedes that drilling is a false solution, but we need to expand the debate beyond drilling and find real solutions for rising gas prices. A recent poll shows that when given a choice, 83 percent of Americans favor investing in clean, renewable energy over increased offshore drilling. Making these investments now is a smart approach that will create jobs and wean us off foreign oil. If expanding offshore drilling won't generate new oil for 10 or more years, and would provide savings of only 3 to 4 cents a gallon, then why not turn the political debate toward making sound investments in renewable energy sources and efficiency developments? It will not only protect our coastal fishing industry, but it will spur our economy and insulate us from global oil spikes.

BERL HARTMAN, Cambridge
The writer is cofounder of the New England Chapter of Environmental Entrepreneurs.