[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 110 (Monday, July 7, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6356-S6358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH ENERGY PRICES

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in mid-June, I asked Idahoans to share with 
me how high energy prices are affecting their lives, and they responded 
by

[[Page S6357]]

the hundreds. The stories, numbering over 1,000, are heartbreaking and 
touching. To respect their efforts, I am submitting every e-mail sent 
to me through [email protected]
.gov to the Congressional Record. This is not an issue that will be 
easily resolved, but it is one that deserves immediate and serious 
attention, and Idahoans deserve to be heard. Their stories not only 
detail their struggles to meet everyday expenses, but also have 
suggestions and recommendations as to what Congress can do now to 
tackle this problem and find solutions that last beyond today. I ask 
unanimous consent to have today's letters printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Sen. Crapo: Thanks for your inquiry into my response to 
     rising fuel prices. I have changed my job so I can more 
     easily bicycle to work and I do so nearly every day. Beyond 
     that, no changes for me! Personally, I think fuel prices 
     rising a few bucks more would be a great thing, and in 
     Republican market economy thought, let the market determine 
     the price!
       I think increases in nuclear energy would be a very poor 
     idea considering current technology and waste storage issues. 
     I would, however, support resumption of research into the 
     Integral Fast Reactor at the INL.
       Increased production from the ANWR is also a bad idea. This 
     is doing nothing but wasting choice American oil supplies 
     when they may be truly needed later. It would, of course, 
     increase the profit margins of the oil companies. Exploit the 
     tar sands and oil shales while prices are high enough to make 
     them economically viable.
       I'm fully supportive of increased funding of alternative 
     energy systems and mass transit. I applaud your efforts to 
     bring AMTRAK back to Boise. Rising fuel prices will also 
     ensure that more people use public transportation.
       I believe that our best efforts (and perhaps an increase in 
     fuel taxes would be necessary) should be to find new and 
     improved energy STORAGE systems. Solar, wind, tide and other 
     renewables supply more than enough energy, but they are 
     intermittant at best. Improved storage systems could fix 
     that. How about a Hoover Dam-sized project to build a giant 
     turbine (or 2 or 3) in the Gulf Stream off the coast of 
     Florida?
       Conservation of America's vital natural resources is 
     paramount. Just look to the oil booms of Ohio and 
     Pennsylvania in the 1870s for a bit of guidance. When the 
     resources are used up, they are gone forever. What is more 
     important, short-term profit or long-term prosperity? The 
     U.S. needs to be at the world forefront of energy, not stuck 
     in a 1950s oil-powered economy!
       Best of luck, Senator.
     John, Boise.
                                  ____

       Hello, I am an under-employed degreed person. I became a 
     single mother about 8 years ago. I have a college degree in 
     general science, and an Associate's degree in Horticultural 
     Sciences. I was a pre-med student for the first four years of 
     my college life. Currently I do not have a job at all. During 
     the school year, I work part-time in the local school system 
     as a ``para-professional,'' which means I will never be 
     employed full-time by the school system, but I will be 
     expected to go over and above for my students, which I do! I 
     gladly work extra to ensure the school is a safe, caring 
     place with an environment for learning. The school is a 
     rural, ``one-room'' school in Clearwater County. It is 
     absolutely a wonderful place!!! I do so wish I could be 
     making a living during the years of employment here, but the 
     pay is very low, and not a living wage, as the local job 
     service people say.
       I feel education is the key for the success of the upcoming 
     generation of young people. Obviously, I have financial 
     challenges. I also have six children, who I have home-
     schooled, and also enrolled them in public school for the 
     last few years, usually when they reach high school. I was 
     certified in secondary ed years ago, and have not had the 
     resources to re-establish that certification. I also think it 
     is important to acclimatize the student to the big world 
     outside the home. I have been successful with them. Three of 
     my sons attend, or have attended, the University of Idaho. 
     One son is stationed in Iraq, since November, 2007, which has 
     been a learning experience for everyone around us. My other 
     two are still in school, and as most of the others are 
     straight A students. One is even thinking of applying to West 
     Point next year. I think he can do whatever he sets his mind 
     in motion to accomplish.
       My experience with the gasoline/petroleum crisis is that I 
     am spending so much on gasoline to transport myself, my kids, 
     and accomplish daily tasks that little is left for life. I 
     love visiting my boys in Moscow. The price is now prohibiting 
     much of that, unless I make an excuse. I miss my boys, and 
     they cannot afford to come see me!! They make very little 
     between classes, and the high price to just go visit Mom is 
     too much of a chunk out of their minimum incomes. I remember 
     when I worked in high school and college, buying gas was not 
     something you had to spend most of your money on. The price 
     was low enough that you just filled up, not worrying about 
     working three days to afford your tank of gas!!! How can 
     they, or myself, ever get ahead????
       I feel that Congress should be moving forward on finding 
     other methods of energy for the vehicle. I do not think 
     releasing petrol reserves or more drilling is the answer. We 
     should be thinking of the future with minor dependence on 
     oil. Our country has been trained to live in our cars and, 
     while that is not bad, we need to find another way to fuel 
     them. I personally do not think forcing everyone to live in 
     town is the answer. I would never survive in a town, I need 
     my open spaces. I also could pursue more education, but the 
     colleges are becoming farther out of reach because people 
     will not be able to afford to go. That is not right. I should 
     not have to accept unsatisfactory employment to live out of 
     town. The out-of-towners are where much of the brains of the 
     world come from. If it keeps going like it is, I will not 
     even be able to get to the grocery store, much less into town 
     to purchase gasoline! I won't even be able to get to a job, 
     because my job is out of town! What about the farmers who 
     make their living, and also make America run, they should not 
     be punished because they are from out of town. It could 
     become an elitist society again. No doubt this problem could 
     divide America as never before.
       I heard today that Boise, Idaho, was named as the second 
     most livable town in the country. I have only lived here for 
     14 years, but I am happy to hear that. I feel Idaho is a 
     wonderful place to live. I would like to see that continue. 
     There are those of us, a big number, who would be in serious 
     crisis, if the price of energy, even just gas continues to 
     spiral upward. I am not sure what will happen. We are also 
     rural we have no TV reception, and only dial-up internet. 
     I can see a lot of people who will be in a world of hurt 
     as they say. We have not had time to make disaster plans 
     for this. This could be a life-altering crisis that has 
     the potential to be as great a disaster as any naturally 
     caused. Local law enforcement could be greatly taxed with 
     people asking for assistance for day to day survival.
       I really believe that developing the new technologies for 
     energy usage will be the key to America and Idaho's success. 
     We must think of the future, and I believe less dependence on 
     oil, smarter cars, and using resources with extreme caution 
     is the only way to ensure next generations of Americans that 
     our nation is as great as it has ever been.
       Thank you for your time,
     Sharon, Orofino.
                                  ____

       Senator Crapo: I am a single woman of 87, raising a 10-
     year-old great grandson who lives in Boise, Idaho. Now Idaho 
     Power has gotten another raise and that along with over $4.00 
     a gallon for fuel, I now either have gas to get to the store 
     or medicine. With a 10-year-old, food is most important. (No 
     regular bus service; besides it costs $2.00 to go to and from 
     the closest grocery store by bus.) I sold my car and the 
     pickup that belonged to my late husband (1992 Ford) and, with 
     the help of my grandson, my church, and the Kia dealer in 
     Nampa, I have a small car that gets around town but not good 
     enough that if one of my children in Hammet or Jerome were to 
     become seriously ill. I would be afraid to drive it that far. 
     I now have an automobile that I am afraid will break down 
     instead of a dependable one all because of the price of fuel.
       Question is why was Idaho Power allowed to let Washington 
     Power and Light take the power from the power plant at Lucky 
     Peak for less than it costs the citizens of Idaho per 
     kilowatt??????
       Along with this I have worked all of my life and paid into 
     Social Security. I worked for a doctor who did not pay the 
     taxes which he was required to and now my check is 
     approximately $300.00 less than it would have if he would 
     have paid in those six years. He has since retired and taken 
     out bankruptcy, and those of us who he shorted are not going 
     to get anything because his attorney was allowed to prolong 
     any legal action over the time limit. Now Social Security is 
     going to take over 186.00 from my check to pay for insurance, 
     which is not going to pay any of my bills. Yet they are 
     allowed to automatically to deduct this. Have you ever tried 
     to feed yourself, a ten-year-old, pay property taxes and buy 
     medicine on $517.00 a month?
       Probably not, and all of the good Senators and 
     Representatives will never know because they do not, from my 
     information, fall under Social Security.
       I am sending this; however, I am sure it will not do any 
     good. After all the last time that I contacted you, nothing 
     came of it and further I got penalized 1 per cent of my check 
     for doing so. I wish every Congressmen and government 
     official would have to live for just 6 months like over 46% 
     of the American people do.
                                                      Mary, Boise.
       P.S. Please have your staff continue to waste money sending 
     me and many others who have come to you for help asking us to 
     donate to your cause.
                                  ____

       Dear Senator Mike Crapo: Thank you so much for the 
     opportunity to share my thoughts with you. I do think your 
     asking for stories from people is an excellent idea.
       Many decisions we make can seem O.K. at the time, but then 
     actions outside our control can turn those decisions into 
     problems. Like deciding where we want to live. While gas was 
     cheap, families decided they wanted big houses outside the 
     city and then would

[[Page S6358]]

     commute into Boise. Now that so many people have moved out of 
     town, it is like flushing good money and good air away as 
     people drive back into town to work. Instead of spending 
     money on adding two more lanes on the freeway, money should 
     go to provide more options to get people out of their cars. I 
     have a friend who used to be in a van pool, but then the 
     people in her group moved and now she cannot get back into a 
     different van pool.
       We did decide to live close enough to our work (3 to 6 
     miles) that we are able to bike and save gas. But even we 
     feel the rise from gas prices because so much of what we 
     purchase depends on gas, and so what we buy from food to 
     clothes have gone up in price. And the more I read, the more 
     I realize that we should not be going into ethanol production 
     from corn. This causes more problems than it helps.
       We really need to say as a country that we will work on 
     this energy issue together. We need to start conserving as 
     much as possible. Building ``green'' should not just be a 
     nice add-on option. Any new building should be required to be 
     as energy efficient as possible and government money should 
     be invested in research to make buildings even better.
       America needs to stand up and say we can do this, we can be 
     creative and get out of our gasoline rut. We need to help 
     people on the fringe who are on fixed on low incomes. But for 
     people who make poor and selfish decisions on their driving 
     habits should have to pay for that. So for those people, gas 
     prices are too cheap. We do not even pay the true cost of 
     gasoline in regards to the environment or human health 
     issues. We truly need a new vision and will power.
       Thank you very much.
       Sincerely,
     Annette, Boise.
                                  ____

       I am an over-the-road truckdriver, and these fuel prices 
     are killing us. Back East and out West, we are seeing fuel 
     prices up toward $5.00 a gal. Where is it going to stop? We 
     need to drill in ANWR, and off our East and West coasts. And 
     we need more refineries. It seems to be like Washington, D.C. 
     does not care for the working class people anymore. They just 
     see us as an endless path to money. Take from us all they can 
     then forget us and sell us out to the highest bidder. Where 
     will it stop?
     Roger, Chubbuck.
                                  ____

       Dear Mike: I am a semi-retired person. I work at a bagel-
     deli at almost Eagle Road, since I live in Boise, and only 
     live \1/2\-mile from BSU, I drive 12 miles each way to work. 
     Since I make $8.50 an hour, and it costs me $4.00 (my truck 
     gets 22 miles per gallon), to go to work, it is far more 
     difficult than it was as $2.50 a gallon for fuel.
       I am 62 years old. I have always believed in all renewable 
     resources. I cannot believe that people think that nuclear 
     fuel is unsafe, plus the fact that we aren't accessing our 
     oil?
       Best regards,
     Boyd, Boise.
                                  ____

       Dear Senator Crapo--I am at a loss to understand why 
     Congress chose to support ethanol instead of hydrogen fuel. 
     The vehicles have been developed, have clean emissions, and 
     it seems practical since hydrogen is abundant. However, 
     hydrogen fuel pumps will have to be installed around the 
     country before the general public can buy and use these 
     vehicles. This is something that Congress can and should 
     support.
       I am so opposed to ethanol. It can't be transported via the 
     current fuel lines, because of its corrosiveness. There is a 
     world food shortage, and none of our farmland should be used 
     to grow fuel instead of food. Ethanol gets lower mileage, and 
     frankly, I do not like having even 10% ethanol fuel in my 
     engine. Ethanol is not the solution to our fuel problems.
       Electric cars, while cleaner, still need a valuable 
     resource (electricity) to operate.
       Energy credits are really good. Hopefully, there is 
     something in the tax code for developers of alternate sources 
     of energy (solar, wind, thermal, etc.). I also am in favor of 
     nuclear energy. The European countries are certainly using 
     that. I know that nuclear waste is an issue, but I think it 
     is one that can be solved.
       This is not a ``story,'' but I took the opportunity to 
     express my opinion about this.
     Diana.
                                  ____

       Dear Senator Crapo, I have a gift and awards business in 
     Moscow, ID where we engrave various items (most of which are 
     made in China), and are experiencing increasing freight 
     prices for all our received items. Freight rates are changing 
     every day not only for delivery, but for other items we 
     purchase used in our business. My employees are feeling the 
     high gasoline prices commuting to work, and are looking for 
     some sort of relief from me. This will drive up my cost of 
     doing business and I will have to pass this cost on to my 
     customers which in turn will be passed on to everyone.
       I am glad that you sent out this e-mail requesting a 
     response to high gasoline prices. I commend your position on 
     this issue. I am sending out e-mails to all my elected 
     officials stating that if you don't support a national energy 
     policy (drilling, nuclear ) then I will do everything in my 
     power to replace you the next election. It's time that the 
     people take back their government. Like it says ``We the 
     people'' . . . An intelligent, responsible representative of 
     the people will get on board and do what he or she is getting 
     paid for, representing the people not just special interest.
       I want to encourage you to spread the word that ``We the 
     people'' are getting sick and tired of not being represented 
     as we request be. People that I see on a daily basis agree 
     that this country is going down hill not even sideways. We 
     are in trouble economically with loss of our manufacturing 
     base, no positive energy policy will jeopardize our entire 
     way of life in the U.S. and will set us up eventually for a 
     war we don't want.
       Please carry the banner, inform your colleagues and let's 
     get this country on the right track again! ``We the people'', 
     love this country.
       Sincerely,
     Dick.
                                  ____

       Mr. Crapo, Thank you for standing up to Senate and 
     demanding something be done on our behalf. Rest assured I 
     will remember those that did come election time. There is no 
     reason why we can not explore our own sources of energy 
     instead of sending our tax dollars to other countries.
       As for how it has affected my family. We bought a camper 
     and pickup truck last year to take family vacations and see 
     this beautiful country of ours. With the rise in gas prices 
     we are limiting ourselves to travel only where one tank of 
     gas can get us. We had planned trips to Yellowstone, Las 
     Vegas, the redwoods in California and Washington State. All 
     those trips are cancelled as we have to stay close to home. 
     It is so bad right now that I cancelled attending my nephews 
     wedding in Washington because the gas prices there are worse 
     than ours.
       We used to go to Meridian (we live in Kuna) once a week for 
     groceries and to go out to dinner. We now do like we used to 
     when we lived in Cascade. We go to Meridian once a month for 
     groceries and rarely go out to dinner because of fuel cost. 
     My wife and I have even discussed trading the Dodge Durango 
     that she loves and buying a small car for her commute.
       While I understand that there are countries out there that 
     have it worse than us but this is supposed to be the greatest 
     and yet we can not even provide our citizens with our own 
     energy. We at the whim of the Arab controlled oil and I see 
     it only getting worse if we do not do something now.
       Thank you again.
     Tim and Amanda.

                          ____________________