I have no expertise in energy policy. I run a small construction company.

However, I must take Rep. Michael Vaughan to task for his guest column of Sunday, August 17.

I believe a comprehensive energy policy puts everything on the table. Offshore exploration, wind farms, solar, you name it – all the basic NIMBY nightmares. Special incentives should be given to renewable energy sources. Look at the private dollars lining up for wind farms in Maine alone.

If it is a viable and reliable source of energy, the only stipulation should be, “If it is produced in Maine, Maine gets the energy first.” The grid gets nothing until the people of Maine are compensated.

We need to change how our elected officials represent us. They only seem to rally behind us at election time. The greatest disservice to the people of Maine comes when a politician gives them only the information they need to make an uninformed decision. Such is the case of Rep. Vaughan.

These are hard times in the land of plenty. Please offer solutions. Angry partisan tirades, glib statements and conspiracy theories detract from the need for an energy policy and demonstrate what is wrong with government.

Playing on our fears with scare tactics that make him sound informed, flavored with information we already think we know, about a subject close to our hearts (and wallets), solves nothing and serves nobody.

Every fact Rep. Vaughan stated can be found in the first few paragraphs of the Rand report’s 12-page summary.

Such as, the Green River Formation has the largest known shale oil deposits in the world.

What Vaughan didn’t say is why we haven’t tapped into this vast supply of homegrown energy. The rest of the report states shale oil is not economically viable and no company has the wherewithal to develop it. Plus, widespread production of shale will only reach 1 million barrels daily in a minimum of 20 years.

This is not the immediate relief we need. Offshore drilling will not result in immediate relief either. Oil company estimates, from time of discovery to market of a barrel of crude, is two to three years!

Immediate relief comes from a correction from declining demand – which is happening now – a stronger dollar, temporary government intervention and a crackdown on speculators.

It is time for our nation to commit to an energy policy for the future of all Americans. Blaming environmentalists, Democrats, the spotted owl, the Maine lobster, me or the guy down the street for our failure to act as a nation, does little to solve our problem of dependence on foreign oil. We have failed ourselves.

It is time we succeed for our children.

David Marquis, Lewiston