Today I received a return call from an Alaska pipeline rep. She says that in the past, a "small percentage" of Alaska oil was sent to Asia but that none of it has been exported since the BP/Arco merger a couple of years ago.

She gave me a number to call next week for actual figures and dates and history.

McGrath, I would love to hear officials on all levels start talking about the need to explore and implement NOW the alternatives that we know will have to be accepted. No one functions well in a panic situation and we'll never have more time than this to make a change, gradual or not.

"The sky is falling", Doug? I expect you read the official warning from the 'Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change', comprised of 700 scientists about the reality and effects of global warming, but my guess is that most of the 'conservative' elements haven't changed their opinions. They'll keep whistling until the dark surrounds them.

No one claims that only human beings are causing this phenomenon, because of the cyclic nature of Earth, but we may easily be the last straw laid on its back. IMMEDIATELY cutting back on fossil fuels is a good place to start the mitigating process.

I'm just finishing a book, printed last year, that details just such a scenario and I'm convinced we must sit up and respond NOW.

EB