U.S. Congressman Jack Kingston visited Baxley on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Kingston was the guest speaker at the Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce’s Quarterly Luncheon.

Kingston talked about key issues including strides being made in the war in Iraq, unrest in the Middle East and with the Soviet Union and energy.

Concerning energy, the congressman shared that he visited parts of the Middle East and stated that many U.S. citizens want to blame Middle Eastern countries for energy/oil problems. He said that Middle Easterners state that the United States needs to tap into its own resources before pointing the finger. The congressman pointed out that the size of the area that could be used for drilling for oil in Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), in Alaska, is 2,000 acres. ANWR is the size of South Carolina. He stated that we have the same situation with offshore drilling, as there are vast areas the U.S. could be trying to drill for oil to gain independence from other countries.

Concerning environmental risks if the U.S. were to drill its own oil Kingston said, “Who is going to be the kindest in the world on the environment? Russia? Venezuela? Iran? No the Unites States will be the best.”

He also shared ideas about how the government and citizens could help to conserve and reduce the demand for oil. Ideas include reducing the speed limit, eliminating drive-through windows, possibly eliminating Saturday postal delivery, purchasing more energy efficient vehicles, etc.

Kingston has an energy survey he is asking citizens to fill out and mail back to him. If you would like more information about this survey, please call his office at 202-225-5831 or visit his website at kingston.house.gov.