Letter to the Editor from U.S. Congressional Candidate Lee Zeldin

MASTIC, NY (04/25/2008)(readMedia)-- To the Editor:

One of the biggest reasons I have asked to serve is to make things better for our community.

Oil prices have skyrocketed towards $120 a barrel. Since Democrats took over Congress the price of gas has increased over 50%. No wonder more than four in five Americans feel that we’re headed in the wrong direction as a nation.

I want to continue and take further the idea suggested by Senator John McCain to have a moratorium on the federal gas tax. I call on our state and county governments to do the same. If all three levels of government took this appropriate and necessary action the price of gas in Suffolk County would be decreased by over $.60 per gallon.

This will provide a small break for the people in Suffolk County. I am asking and will fight for a 3 month moratorium on all gas taxes. I further call on the companies that supply the fuel to reduce the cost to stations as well.

We must also reduce our reliance on foreign oil. This is why I support not only wind and solar power but another initiative that will help ease the burden of rising fuel prices—one that will enable the United States to utilize the largest potential untapped resource we have and offset our rising dependence on foreign oil. By allowing oil and gas exploration on a fraction of territory comprising the North Slope of Alaska, we could add more than 1 million barrels of oil a day to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline system, reduce the national debt, and boost the economy.

The facts add up: according to Office of Management and Budget this initiative would enhance federal revenues by hundreds of billions of dollars from tax and royalty revenue and bids on the project.

Most importantly, the indigenous people of the North Slope and three quarters of Alaskans approve of this initiative. We must insure the process is environmentally responsible and uses appropriate technology for the oil and gas exploration. We must ensure the peaceful coexistence of animal life and oil exploration.

Overseas, I call on the Iraqi government to start allocating their $70 billion oil surplus towards easing our dependency while we continue to help them to democracy. Meanwhile, in Washington, our Congress must stop adding to the costs of the war, pork barrel projects like peanut storage houses in Georgia and shrimp research. Our government is on the wrong track, and residents of Eastern Long Island are suffering as a result.

Rarely has there been such a clear cut interim solution to a challenging issue. While the green collar sector is clearly our nation’s future, North Slope oil exploration today is the bridge to tomorrow’s initiatives. And as I’ve said time and again, the future of our communities depends on strong leadership to help affect this necessary change. Fortunately…

Long Island’s Future Begins Now,

Lee M. Zeldin,

Republican Candidate

New York’s First Congressional District