Energy Efficiency, Not 'Draining America,' Is Answer to Oil Woes

Energy Efficiency, Not 'Draining America,' Is Answer to Oil Woes

In the opinion-page article ''Avoid Long Lines for Gas, Tap Alaska's Oil Reserves,'' May 18, Sen. Frank Murkowski (R) of Alaska, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is misleading when he says that environmentalists ''rejoice in the choke hold'' that restrictions on oil and natural gas production have, leading to more imports.

The solution is not to tap Alaska's oil reserves; rather, it is to go into fast forward with pragmatic policies that promote energy efficiency. His ''drain America first'' productionist proposals will undermine not only our natural resource heritage but also our vital energy security.

John G. Merriam Bowling Green, Ohio