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The Jacksonville Daily News: Gus Wilgus Responds to My Letter

Posted on July 5, 2008

August Austin “Gus” Wilgus, a staunch Republican Conservative and supporter of both President Bush and failed-Congressional Candidate Joe McLaughlin, has written a letter to the editor of the Jacksonville Daily News in response to my letter printed on June 27th.

Wilgus bases his argument for offshore drilling on the theory that the leased property currently held by oil companies will yield very little oil and isn’t worth exploring for oil. He may well be correct on that. I would suggest, however, that these oil companies making hundreds of billions of dollars of profit annually could invest a few million dollars here and there without great loss. I also wouldn’t think that it’s beyond reason to expect the oil companies to explore lands already set aside for exploration before giving away new areas.

He prefers to give the oil companies willy-nilly license to build oil platforms off the coast of North Carolina. I’m willing to bet that Wilgus would fight tooth and nail should some enterprising young landowner want to construct a small wind farm along the coast. It’s interesting to me that the wind farms are evil to Wilgus and his ilk, even though any danger they would present is far minimal to the dangers from oil platforms. Let’s not forget that over 4 million gallons of oil spilled onto Southern U.S. shores in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. What makes Wilgus think that the same couldn’t happen here in Hurricane Alley?

Wilgus also thinks that Jones or Duplin counties would good sites for refineries and that the pipeline could go through the port at Morehead City. Certainly, I agree that Jones and Duplin counties would be good locations for a new industry. The energy industry would be a good place to start. Instead of an oil refinery, though, how about a wind or solar farm? Certainly that would be cleaner and longer-lasting than an oil refinery.

Wilgus presented in a previous letter to the editor that we should develop and use the “God-given natural resources right here in the United States.” If his “god” gave us oil for energy, wouldn’t the same be said of the winds and the sun?

And, Mr. Wilgus, I’m not kidding about tax credits for using alternative means of transportation. You don’t mean to say that you’re against cutting taxes, do you?