Dear Editor:In April 2008 the U.S. Geological Service issued a revised report that we had a source of oil larger than all foreign oil reserves combined. An area, called The Bakken, has massive reserves estimated at 503 billion barrels of prime light, sweet oil. Also, hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains, is the largest untapped oil reserve in the world, more than 2 trillion barrels. On Aug. 8, 2005, President Bush mandated its extraction, but despite 3 1/2 years of high oil prices, no extraction has begun. "60 Minutes" revealed we have enough oil impregnated sand, called tarsand, that could also make the U.S. independent on foreign oil. Canada extracts so much oil from tarsand they sell oil to the U.S. We have inside our borders eight times as much oil as the largest producer, Saudi Arabia, yet we have closed down offshore platforms, and onshore production locations, and made the U.S. so dependent on foreign oil they could shut the U.S. down at any time they so desired. Why? -- James Hawkins, Downey

********** Published: January 13, 2011 - Volume 9 - Issue 39