Editor,
According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, the amount of energy we lose from leaky heating and cooling ducts in our home is equivalent to the potential annual oil produced from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. It’s true: U.S. residential duct leakage costs consumers $5 billion every year!
We have two options: We can follow simple, affordable energy reduction tips from the U.S. Dept. of Energy to make our air ducts more efficient, or we can destroy the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge, threatening the endangered polar bear and calving area of the Porcupine Caribou Herd and forever negatively altering the subsistence lifestyle of the Gwich’in people who call the place home. Let’s do the logical thing by saying no to Arctic Refuge drilling and yes to energy efficient homes.
Please join me in telling Sen. Joe Donnelly and Sen. Todd Young that we don’t need or want oil from the Arctic Refuge. It makes much more sense for us to save money and conserve energy in our own homes than to destroy the crown jewel of America’s National Park system. Senators, please oppose any budget resolution that includes opening the Refuge to drilling exploration.
Monica Cannaley, Carmel
