Can anyone see a parallel between our recent water drought and the shortage of energy that is driving up fuel and food prices? In a recent interview, a former Saudi oil minister responded to the question: What do you see as a solution to the increasing price of oil? His response was that the United States has a great opportunity to conserve energy, as the United States consumes about 20 million barrels per day of oil -- double the amount consumed by Western Europe for a similar population. He did not suggest, as President Bush advises, that the Saudis produce more oil!

Will members of our Utilities Commission read your article and apply lessons learned from our recent drought and tiered pricing rates to residential electricity and natural gas consumption? I don't think the board of directors of our for-profit utilities should be concerned about decreasing sales, as electricity and natural gas saved in our homes will serve as a partial substitute for fuel to power our cars, thereby reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Richard Leber

Chapel Hill