• Dear Editor

We are seeing one of the most devastating consequences of this oil addiction in the Gulf of Mexico as the BP disaster worsens every day.

If we remain dependent on oil, it leaves us open to spills that destroy our local economies and environment.

Memorial Day is the day when we honor the sacrifices of servicemen and women, and it is also marks the beginning of summer, when many Americans take to the roads for travel and vacations. This Memorial Day, we should strive to understand the connection between national security and energy, and to start working on solutions here that can end our oil addiction.

Improving fuel economy standards for all vehicles, electrifyingvehicles of all types, investing in rail for freight and commuting, creating livable communities where transit, walking and biking are important — these are all real and oil-free choices.

Our over-reliance on oil for much of our transportation needs is also perhaps the single greatest, under appreciated threat to U.S. national security today, giving leverage and money to potential adversaries, and risking embroiling the U.S. state in endless conflicts abroad to secure access to oil.

Sincerely,

Vernon Hynes

Saint Clairsville