Keep U.S. crude oil in USA: Your Say

Letters to the editor:

USA TODAY's recent editorial "Capitalize on crude oil price: Our view" was misguided in calling for lifting restrictions on exporting U.S. crude oil. Unfortunately, the opposing view agreed with you, so your readers missed the argument for keeping our crude here at home ("Protect America's energy revolution").

Contrary to your assertion, oil coming from places such as North Dakota is very well-suited for many U.S. refineries. Research shows that U.S. refineries have the capacity to refine all the U.S. crude oil into the products American consumers and businesses need, from gasoline to jet fuel to home heating oil. Just as rapidly as the price of oil has dropped, it can rise again, and the ban helps keep prices lower for U.S. consumers. U.S. crude is a strategic commodity unlike any other; let's keep American crude here in America.

Jay Hauck, executive director, The CRUDE Coalition, Washington, D.C.

Perhaps the dramatic decrease in the cost per gallon of gas at the pump is an opportunity to increase the federal highway tax. The 18.4 cents per gallon tax has not been raised in over 20 years.

America needs the infrastructure repairs, and the high-paying construction jobs would be an ancillary blessing. Rather than rushing out to buy bigger and less fuel-efficient trucks and SUVs, an increased gas tax would temper the consumption of "cheap fuel."

The only way the new Congress should consider this action is to assure the public that a foolproof mechanism is in place that guarantees all highway tax revenue is spent only on our roads and bridges. This would be a worthy mission for the Republican-controlled Congress.

Bob Guerin; Marathon, Fla.

Oil prices traded near a five-year low on Tuesday. Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is deliberately allowing oil prices to drop. It is making it too cheap for the U.S. and others to continue developing shale and domestic deposits. Once companies go bankrupt or exit the market, OPEC will cut back production and let prices rise again.

— Paul Novak

If the USA is smart, we will encourage a multifaceted energy policy with emphasis on "green" energy. That is the only way to put OPEC out of business. The policy is affecting other oil-producing countries as well. It is already hurting Russia and Venezuela.

— Peter Hoover

If the domestic oil industry and the lenders survive this drop in prices for a short time, then that is OK. Extend this period, and you could see other economic issues cropping up.

— Edward W Greenlee

The average household will save money because of the drop in gas prices at the pump. But if you are unemployed because the oil companies let you go, you won't be able to afford that cheaper gas.

— Al Kwiatkowski

The last thing we need is to jack up the price of gas by raising the federal gas tax. If a side effect of the oil glut is that we no longer have to cram ourselves into clown cars, even better.

— Matthew Kilburn