Editor:

Open letter to U.S. Sen. John Barrasso:

Since the birth of the oil industry, their behavior has been outhouse behavior at best. Present day oil business is no better. The oil giants and the government (Republicans) would have us believe more drilling in this country is the only solution.

The only reason the oil companies raised the prices so blatantly high is because they can. Furthermore, the reason they are pushing to drill more domestically is they can sell much more oil than they can get their hands on.

When the energy industry was deregulated and the oil companies were allowed to merge, what did people think was going to happen? There is no longer any competition in the oil industry. With a industry so critical to the economy and to the security of our country, government regulation is a must. This must be achieved prior to any energy proposal.

It must also be remembered that oil and gas, under public lands, is a public resource that should require regulation. We need legislation that makes it illegal to export any resource that this country imports.

They say we can't support our own energy needs but this country still exports oil and natural gas. Why?

Why would we permit drilling in sensitive areas of the Rocky mountain regions, or off the coast areas, and still export oil and natural gas? Why?

As per a letter received from Sen. Craig Thomas, 7 percent of capacity of the Alaska pipeline is allowed to be exported. What many people don't realize is when a natural gas well is drilled and put into production, a product called condensate is produced. This condensate is crude and used for gasoline.

Since the start of the gas boom in the mid-1990s, a very considerable amount of this product has been available to the market as a by-product of natural gas. The Jonah field alone has produced millions of barrels. The natural gas boom has hit the entire country making this condensate available to the market. It's time to get to the truth of these oil prices. A complete and total audit of our nation's oil and natural gas resources is long overdue. How much is really exported? How much is imported?

I don't oppose drilling; I work in the oil and gas fields of Wyoming, but I oppose drilling here so the oil giants can just get richer as they hold us hostage.

CHRIS M. SCHEIBE, Riverton