Fairy tales about cheap, abundant oil supplies in the U.S. are unhelpful.

As a candidate in the House District 105 race, I have been knocking on doors for several months, talking to neighbors in Durham and New Gloucester about issues that concern them. On the top of the list is the high cost of energy, specifically heating oil and gasoline.

I have spoken with senior citizens and lower-income working people who struggled through last winter, and know this winter will be worse. Several told me they are worried about having to choose between buying oil and prescription medicine. They are looking for help. With 30 years of experience in energy policy and issues, I hope to put my background to work in the Maine Legislature to provide real solutions for our critical energy situation.

There is little we can do in the Legislature to affect global oil prices, but we can collectively help lower oil and gas prices by reducing our consumption: winterize our homes, purchase fuel efficient vehicles, use a wood stove and slow down a bit on the highways. Already a reduction in U.S. demand is having some effect on prices.

Heating oil and gas prices are unlikely to drop much more before winter, which will still put a big squeeze on family budgets. The Legislature and state agencies already have a plan to supplement inadequate federal funding for low-income heating assistance. Towns and state agencies are also planning for how to avoid a tragedy, such as when a family runs out of oil and doesn’t have the cash to purchase more. Each town should establish a fund that can accept private contributions for emergency assistance to those who don’t meet federal/state program guidelines. It may be necessary to open local shelters, or even help people close their homes for the winter and live with relatives during the coldest months to save money. This is a sad situation, but may be a reality for some.

Over the longer term, we need to support investments in energy efficiency, wind power and in-state renewable energy, so we can keep our dollars working in the Maine economy. Our state must support small businesses and entrepreneurs in Maine who can help make it happen.

For example:

• I met a contractor in Durham who is busy installing solar hot water and radiant heat systems, saving people money and adding to the value of their homes. We can create jobs for Maine people by providing technical training and easier financing for technologies available today that tap into free energy from the sun and wind.

• We should make it easier for towns to develop their own small wind farms to support local industry and provide power to their own citizens. Today, the barriers to small-scale wind power development make this very difficult.

• We need to monitor and support wood/biomass fuel markets so that our forests can provide sustainable, renewable energy for Maine people.

• I will support programs to encourage higher energy efficiency in buildings, vehicles and appliances.

The Bush administration’s energy policy continues to promote consumption, support “Big Oil,” and reaps the profits at our expense. Now, my opponent claims (“Tired of no energy policy,” Aug. 17) we can reduce oil prices immediately, and solve the energy crisis by developing oil shale deposits in the Rockies, and drilling offshore.

This is simply untrue and irresponsible to suggest. Any meaningful production from new development activities would take years to reach the market, and the price of oil from resources like oil shale would not be any lower than today’s prices. A “Just Keep Drilling” policy also dismisses the overwhelming evidence of global warming, and fails to move us away from fossil fuels.

What we really don’t need is a fairy tale about cheap and abundant oil in the U.S. Instead, we need to reduce our unhealthy reliance on oil, and start today to support the development of a sustainable economy that uses local, renewable energy as much as possible.

David Van Wie of New Gloucester is the Democratic candidate for House District 105 – Durham, New Gloucester and part of Lisbon – in the Maine Legislature. He is the former director of the Maine Bureau of Land and Water Quality .