The beginning of a new school year means a lot of things. We catch up with our friends, find out which of our professors are evil, and realize how the only thing more expensive than our textbooks is the gas we spend driving back from wherever we call home.

Outrage over gas prices is nothing new. I have been moaning and whining about over-paying since prices rose 10 cents to $1.59 per gallon right when I needed to fill the tank sometime around 2004. Farther back some might remember the fuel crisis of the ‘70s and the misguided price control schemes of the Carter era that only resulted in long lines at the pump.

Today, we are far from weaned of our “addiction” to oil. Let’s face it: It will be decades before our reliance on oil significantly phases out. This is not to say that we cannot do anything about the current problem. There is much that can and must be done. Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama has told us that we cannot simply drill our way out of this problem. In the long term, he is absolutely right. There are numerous alternative sources of energy, much of which is renewable and more environmentally sound than oil. For the sake of our economy and our energy independence (and, consequently, our national security) we must invest in these alternative energy sources. American ingenuity is what made this nation great. In the last century it was innovative ideas for use of oil that helped us prosper; in the next it will be wind, solar, bio-fuels, nuclear… you name it.

While we transition into the next generation of energy there are still millions of vehicles and homes that rely on oil. For many, the cost is unbearable, so in the short-term we must utilize our resources for the sake of our economy. That is exactly what the American Energy Act (H.R. 6566), which Congress needs to debate, proposes. The bill financially encourages alternative energy research while allowing environmentally responsible drilling.

When it comes to drilling, the two main areas in dispute are the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Unfortunately, both Sen. John McCain and Obama oppose drilling in ANWR. Despite the fact that there are billions of barrels of oil to be produced, the drilling sites and the pipelines would take up less than 1percent of the land. Finally, congressmen who have visited the area have stated that wildlife in the arctic region have flocked to current pipelines and thrived.

Fortunately, both candidates support drilling in OCS. Of course, this was not always the case. While McCain has supported it for some time, Obama opposed it from the start. That was until he caught wind of the national poll stating that approximately 70 percent of Americans favored drilling in OCS. That was enough to change his tune in a heartbeat. To be fair, in an election year any politician would have done the same.

Opponents of drilling have claimed that the oil from either ANWR or OCS would not actually come online for as late as 10 years from now. In fact, 10 years is the long estimate. The average estimate for OCS is about five years and could be as soon as three. Even three years is too long a wait for gas prices to go down. Fortunately, because of speculation, the price drop would be virtually immediate and significant.

It seems pretty clear that in order to solve our energy problem we have got to do all of the above. And it just so happens that the American Energy Act is essentially an “all of the above” solution. For all of our sakes, this legislation must pass. We must do all that we can, not only to bring prices down in the short term, but to encourage innovation and energy independence.

Poole is a Wichita senior in political science and psychology.