There are oil-bearing shale formations in the western regions of our country. It is estimated that there are two to three trillion barrels of oil in that shale. It costs around $20 a barrel to extract the oil, so it is an economically feasible endeavor.

If this country were to make a serious effort to develop that resource, not only would the U.S. be oil independent, but could actually export to friendly nations and potential friends, such as China. Those countries wouldn’t have to become ensnared in messy Middle East politics and could, instead, concentrate on stabilizing their economies and, therefore, stablilzing that side of the planet.

Any country, institution or vested interest that attempted to prevent this country from realizing the full potential of having that shale oil, should be cast into the void. The stakes associated with being involved in the Middle East are too high.

With that new oil resource, this nation could, and should, walk away from the Middle East forever. If the U.S. weren’t taking sides with one group over another over there, there would be no reason for anyone to attack this country. Using the oceans and necessary profiling as barriers, the U.S. could more readily keep to itself.

There are worse things than that.

Andy Bennett, Buckfield