Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight and refocus the debate on what Utahns really care about - a national energy policy that lowers gasoline prices, reduces our dependency on foreign oil and provides a balanced, stable and affordable domestic energy supply for the future.

To lessen the demand for oil, I believe strongly it is important to offer incentives for alternative fuels, infrastructure and vehicles - and my record proves I have been doing just that.

I authored and passed the CLEAR Act, the current law providing tax credits for hybrid-electric and alternative-fuel vehicles. I introduced S. 1617, the FREEDOM Act, which promotes plug-in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This bill has been included in both the Democratic and Republican energy tax-extender packages. Both parties' bills would extend the existing renewable production tax credit for solar, wind and geothermal energy.

I authored the renewable production tax credit, introducing it in 2005 as S. 1156 and passing it as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

This year I co-sponsored S. 3208, the Carbon Technology Bridge Act of 2008 that provides incentives for the demonstration and use of carbon-capture technologies on American power plants. One day, this technology could make oil shale development an even more environmentally friendly energy alternative by reducing the carbon footprint.

As you can see, I'm an advocate of geothermal, solar, wind and other forms of alternative energy and have in fact introduced legislation providing tax credits for geothermal energy producers such as Utah's Raser Technologies, which broke ground earlier this year on the first geothermal power plant to be built in our state in two decades.

We all realize that we must take steps to lessen our demand for oil. However, I am a realist and realize that, unfortunately, 97 percent of our transportation sector is dependent on oil and that oil comes mostly from foreign sources. But efforts to slow oil and oil-shale production won't solve that problem; it will make it worse and punish every family in America in the process, especially poor families.

The abundance of oil shale in the West makes it an effective component of an overall national energy policy, especially when it is done in an environmentally friendly way. I wrote the law on oil shale production. It requires a large environmental impact study, more regulatory steps than standard mining and oil development, an unprecedented level of input and control by states and the full application of all environmental laws.

I will continue to fight for the initiatives discussed above and try to address the whole picture so that our state and our nation will have the assurance of a sound energy policy for our future.

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* ORRIN HATCH is the senior U.S. senator from Utah.

Orrin Hatch