This is regarding "Columnist wrong to criticize GOP Bush" (SN 10/21) and "Bush's environmental policies don't hold up" (SN 10/28).

Both these letters to the editor incorrectly assessed the effect the Kyoto Protocol would have had on the U.S. economy.

By now, we all know that energy is the base of our economy, whether in the form of oil for trucking and flight, or of natural gas supplying power to our factories and manufacturing processes.

Granted, the initial impact of air-emissions (technology) might place a burden on some of these sectors, but whatever they have to spend will go directly to the innovators and producers of the energy-efficient technologies needed to meet the Kyoto requirements.

Currently, with expanding economies in the world and limited energy supplies, energy-efficient technologies already are a multibillion dollar a year market.

Just think of the boost our economy would get by becoming a leader in these cleaner technologies, not only by exporting our products abroad, but also by reducing energy costs to manufacturers in the long run.

Jamie Janisch
2003 graduate