According to the U.S. Census our biggest export is fuel. Our refiners exported 117 million gallons per day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum products offshore to the world community, while America remains the world's largest importer of crude oil. From January to October, our country imported 2.7 billion barrels of oil worth roughly $280 billion.

The mantra of the Republicans is that we need to produce more oil in our pristine wilderness and clean oceans to achieve energy independence. I believe Republicans are demanding that the Keystone pipeline be built, our oceans soiled and wilderness cleared for the profits of the oil companies that sell our energy overseas.

We pay higher gas prices so the oil companies and their political supporters can make a bigger profit. It should be a crime to export energy until we are truly energy independent.

Bob Reeves

Bellingham