[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 118 (Thursday, July 17, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6931-S6933]
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 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:

       Dear Senator Crapo: You asked that I send a paragraph or 
     two about how I or my family are impacted by the constantly 
     rising gas prices. At first, I thought that I had nothing to 
     share, other than the usual issues you mention: no choice, I 
     have to drive that far. Then I realized that I do indeed have 
     a story to share.
       I am an amateur radio operator, and I love helping my 
     community by volunteering my services at various events. 
     However, with the rising cost of fuel, I am being slowly 
     forced to pick and choose what events I am willing to help 
     with. That means that many local and distant events that rely 
     on amateur radio operators (hams) to provide them with 
     communications are finding it not only more and more 
     expensive to put on the events, but also finding that it is 
     not as easy to get enough communication volunteers. Without 
     enough hams there, the people putting on the events have to 
     space what resources they do have further and further apart. 
     This provides an extra risk for the event participants in 
     some cases. With hams spaced increasingly further apart, 
     there are areas of, for example, parades, fairs, bike races 
     and tours, long distance runs, and other outdoor events that 
     have no safety net in case something goes wrong.
       Sometimes we are partially reimbursed for our fuel, other 
     times we aren't. For some hams who may be retired, this can 
     be the only way they are able to afford to volunteer. Others 
     of us, myself included, will attempt to cut something else to 
     still volunteer but even so there are so many events and only 
     so many fuel dollars that I can volunteer. For those of us 
     that function as brooms and sweeps at races and tours we 
     still drive more miles than the gas we are reimbursed for.

[[Page S6932]]

       As long as we can, we'll volunteer for these events, but 
     even so there comes a time when we simply cannot afford it, 
     much as we'd like to volunteer.
           Respectfully,
     Bill.
                                  ____

       Senator Crapo: The ever-increasing fuel prices have forced 
     me and my family to make significant changes in our 
     lifestyle. My wife is a stay-at-home mother, taking care of 
     our two boys; so, consequently, we live on a fixed income 
     like most Americans. To keep our fuel costs at our budgeted 
     amount, we've been forced to purchase a motorcycle for 
     commuting to and from work. This decision comes with a 
     certain level of risk, but it is a choice we have made in 
     order for my wife to continue to stay at home and raise our 
     boys. Should fuel prices continue to increase, we may be 
     forced to have my wife return to the workforce, which, I hope 
     you would agree, is not what this country needs. With fuel 
     prices soaring, it is very aggravating to hear that China and 
     India are 50 miles off the coast of Florida, slant drilling 
     for oil in the continental shelf but yet it is illegal for us 
     to do the same. It is aggravating to hear that the last 
     refinery was built in this country over thirty years ago! I 
     understand this is because of all the regulatory legislation. 
     It is aggravating to hear politicians complaining about big 
     oil profits when their profit margins are only around 8%! It 
     is aggravating to hear politician's discussing windfall 
     profit taxes when it is profits that have built this country! 
     I hope you would agree that it is profits that drive 
     innovation and technology! If the politicians were working on 
     the country's business and not discussing the use of 
     performance enhancing drugs in baseball, cheating in 
     football, writing letters to Rush Limbaugh, etc. . . . the 
     energy crisis in this country would most likely have been 
     solved years ago!
       Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with my 
     thoughts on energy prices and how it has impacted our family 
     as well as allowing me to vent my frustration with some of 
     the leadership of this country. I applaud you on your recent 
     fight on the ``climate change legislation.'' I believe the 
     climate change and global warming is a huge myth, and I pray 
     we never implement cap and trade; which, I believe will be 
     the beginning of the end. Keep up the good fight & God Bless!
           Respectfully yours,
     Scott.
                                  ____

       Like many others, I am concerned about the rise in energy 
     costs--for me it has a great deal to do with my health. I was 
     diagnosed with MS a few years ago. One of the most difficult 
     times for me is the summer. MS makes the heat pretty much 
     unbearable, so the air-conditioner runs most of the time--
     especially through May to October. I also must use the air-
     conditioner in my car when I drive. When the heat strikes, I 
     become fatigued so much so that I cannot move. This makes it 
     hard to be with friends and family, especially my 13 year old 
     son--who is very active. I do hope that we can find some 
     alternatives to gas and oil, and look forward to hearing how 
     you can help.
           Thank you,
     Kim, Boise.
                                  ____

       It may seem as though it will take a holy cow to get our 
     legislature to think ``oil independence,'' but as I am sure 
     you realize, we have over 100 years of oil independence at 
     our fingertips; that's right here at home in Utah, Montana, 
     and the Dakotas, this is not counting the offshore oil 
     available off both coasts, OR do we need to help China find 
     our oil. It is about time for a wake-up call. I do support 
     your logical and commonsense approach to the energy crisis we 
     have at hand and support your direction.
       Keep up the good fight; let us stop sending our dollars 
     overseas. Oil independence--that is the ticket! Thanks for 
     listening.
     John.
                                  ____

       Mr. Crapo: Perhaps you should read the Idaho State Journal, 
     the ``Your Letters'' in the first section of the paper dated 
     June 16, 2008. Side with big oil, as it clearly looks as you 
     did, and then expect your constituents to write in to you and 
     give heartbreaking stories seems a bit ludicrous. Opening up 
     wilderness for drilling is a 10+ year detour as that is the 
     estimate as to when we would actually see any of that oil in 
     the system.
       If you want to help:
       1. Find ways to help the average home owner to install 
     solar panels on rooftops or in backyards to help offset the 
     rising electrical rates. This needs to be through low 
     interest easy to obtain loans and even grants for low income 
     homeowners, not tax breaks, as the initial investment is 
     large and out of range for home owners such as myself. This 
     would result in lower electrical bills and maybe even a 
     money-generating opportunity for the homeowner as they can 
     sell excess back to Idaho Power.
       2. Help establish more wind farms and make sure that the 
     end product stays in Idaho, not transmitted out of state. The 
     outlandish approval hearings and appeals need to be stopped.
       3. Nuclear was never and is never the answer; the end 
     product of such is a disaster waiting to happen.
       4. It is time to come to grips with the fact that oil 
     prices will never come down. We have created this dragon, and 
     now it has come to burn our villages. Do we really need 
     Hummers, large SUVs, NASCAR? I think not. The automobile 
     makers in this country need to be held to higher standards 
     and take the lead on producing vehicles that actually make 
     respectable gas mileage. This country put men on the moon, 
     but we cannot produce a vehicle that actually makes a 
     respectable MPG, and I am not talking 30 MPG but 50MPG+.
       5. Yes, it is time to crack down on big oil. The profits 
     that these companies have been posting are insane. The 
     arguments that production costs have risen, etc., are a slap 
     in the face to anyone listening to these numbers. These are 
     profits, not gross income.
           Best Wishes,
     Matthew.
                                  ____

       My wife and I are in our mid-sixties, my wife on Social 
     Security. The spiraling fuel prices are beginning to wreak 
     havoc on our conservative budget. I am on the verge of riding 
     a bicycle to work, nine miles each way. I know that we, as a 
     country, have the ability to produce all the energy we need 
     for generations, but [no solutions are forthcoming]!
       I hate to think I have worked my entire adult life just to 
     have prohibitive fuel prices keep us from doing many of the 
     things we have looked forward to.
       For a change we can believe in, do something about it! Let 
     us start by tapping the massive resources we have available 
     to us here at home. Americans like myself will not be quiet 
     forever.
     Alan, Meridian.
                                  ____

       Thank you for this opportunity to provide feedback. I have 
     many friends who are retired from the military and police. 
     [Most,] like me, are conservatives.
       As we e-mail each other, the same theme and thoughts 
     continue to be repeated. Why [does it seem there are no 
     answers from our Congress regarding energy prices? There have 
     been plenty of hearings on issues like baseball, impeaching 
     the President and grilling oil executives, but nothing that 
     actually fixes the problem.]
       The lesson of history [appears to be lost by many people]. 
     The oil embargo was the first shot fired in this global war. 
     The Saudis are not our friends, and the entire Middle East is 
     [a consistently unstable area], yet we have done nothing for 
     over 30 years!!!
       Why would or should our President seek additional 
     production [from that area] when this country has known 
     reserves that could be effectively used to deflate the cost 
     of oil, gas and diesel. I am not a lawyer, but even I, as 
     well as most commonsense thinking people, have figured this 
     out.
       The very removal of the current restrictions on drilling of 
     our currently known resources would drive the costs down 
     almost overnight. This would take courage and leadership.
       This is not considered to be a long-term plan for energy 
     independence. However, if used as a bridge, it would allow 
     for the needed technical expertise to develop higher 
     efficiency engines and alternate transportation choices. This 
     would serve this country better than the current so-called 
     energy policies currently in place.
       With China drilling for oil just off the coast of Florida, 
     how can you guarantee that they will not use current 
     technology to ``poach'' our oil reserves in this area?
       Given the track record of [action so far], I do not have 
     much confidence in anything getting done.
     Ronald, Council.
                                  ____

       I am a single parent. I work hard and also go to school as 
     a full-time student. It is a 30-mile drive to my school one-
     way, and 77 miles to work one-way. The cost of gas is not my 
     idea of fun. Thankfully my primary vehicle gets 40 miles to 
     the gallon, which helps to take the sting out of it a bit, 
     but not much. I am having to curtail a lot of the activities 
     that I do with my children that include taking them swimming 
     and such, due to the fact that I need to get to work or 
     school and cannot afford much else. I have been watching the 
     prices go up, oil companies and their executives [receiving 
     record] profits and no relief in site. Most Americans are 
     suffering while [a small group] are building bigger bank 
     accounts. I believe in capitalism completely, but not [at the 
     expense of] the common American. It does not take a rocket 
     scientist to figure out who is behind all of this, and that 
     there are most likely a few traders out there and maybe even 
     others driving the price of fuel up too to further pad their 
     pockets. I never understood why some wanted to cut off the 
     supply to the strategic reserve as that is such a small drop 
     in the bucket that it will never do any good in the long run. 
     Food costs are going up due to rising fuel costs, which means 
     now I do not get some of the things my kids used to enjoy as 
     often. We do not even go out to dinner or even a movie as 
     that small amount of fuel could make the difference in 
     getting to work or class for me. And trust me in saying, [my 
     family relationships have suffered] because I cannot afford 
     things we used to do that they want to do. When the time 
     comes that they say the cost of satellite TV needs to go up 
     due to fuel costs I will have had it. I am watching way too 
     many companies use that excuse to raise prices when fuel has 
     nothing to do with their goods and or services. This has got 
     to stop, and the oil companies get reigned in and severely 
     penalized for what they are doing. Open the Alaskan and Gulf 
     reserves and slap major government regulation on the oil 
     companies like was done to

[[Page S6933]]

     Ma Bell in the 70's. That will teach them and smash their 
     monopolies.
     Ed.
                                  ____

       Senator Crapo: I have a serious concern about energy 
     prices. I live in Blackfoot, and work in Pocatello and Idaho 
     Falls (ISU). At this rate, I may have to find a job in 
     Blackfoot. Gas prices are affecting us more than in most 
     states due to our rural status. I think you should continue 
     to represent our concerns about high gas prices. Can we get 
     the corporate officers from Chevron, Exxon, etc., to testify 
     in Congress as to why our prices are so high? Can we convince 
     the Middle Eastern oil barons to bring their prices down? I 
     have supported you on many issues. I was especially thankful 
     for your support of the Dia del Nino program at the Sixth 
     Grade School in Blackfoot when your office donated hundreds 
     of books to the kids. Please continue to support us on our 
     concerns about the exorbitant energy prices, especially the 
     high cost of gasoline at the pump. Somebody has to be held 
     accountable for these sky-rocketing prices. Thanks for all 
     you do!
     Amando.
                                  ____

       Dear Senator: Thanks for asking, but there is no real point 
     in more words and stories and talking. [The auto industry has 
     received special treatment for many years, including 
     avoiding] significant increases in fleet mileage standards. 
     Congressional-supported research for alternative energy 
     sources was removed from the most recent energy bill. [Oil 
     company executives are making exorbitant salaries, and many 
     other rumors and concerns have surfaced about job losses and 
     energy research]. I like Senator McCain's ideas for 
     instituting an entire new green energy industry in the U.S. 
     That would support your ideas for alternatives. Heaven--and 
     Mother Nature--knows that Idaho, with geothermal and biomass 
     and hydro and enough solar and wind, is conveniently at the 
     crossroads and on the power grid to score big time on this. 
     But that takes a federal government commitment toward schools 
     [similar to what] the Sputnik shock created. I am afraid the 
     libertarian/conservative ``get government out of our lives'' 
     mentality will end that.
       Is not $4 gas really America's best energy policy? That 
     this is what it will take to change thinking on mass transit, 
     improved mileage vehicle design and purchases, ride-sharing, 
     central city dwelling, buy local and regional food?
       So, our stories? Well, trip-chaining to reduce shopping 
     trips, [supporting efforts to improve community transit 
     systems which will also improve inversion and air quality 
     concerns.] Staying home rather than flying or driving on 
     vacation.
       This exercise of providing anecdotes is a waste of time. 
     The issue and solutions have been [around for many years, but 
     not implemented. Too often, we, the people, feel ignored by 
     those who simply talk about solving the problems, but do not 
     take any substantive action. We are all working for the 
     American Dream, but there are so many issues that are 
     ignored--]roads and bridges deteriorating, borders and ports 
     unsecured, financiers unregulated, food and drug operations 
     poorly monitored, military qualities diminishing, public 
     school standards disappearing.
       On this one issue, [everyone is affected--] getting to 
     work, emergency vehicles, cross country 18-wheelers, sales 
     trips, plane trips and freight, school buses.
       Thanks for your attention.
     Richard, Boise.
                                  ____

       Being 18, maybe I do not have the full perspective on 
     issues, but the correct energy policy seems too simple to be 
     wrong. As an American, what I demand is action! Something 
     needs to be done already! Nothing has been done for 30+ 
     years, so there has been plenty of time to talk and argue. 
     Now is the time when action is needed. Congress needs to just 
     listen to the men and woman in energy-related fields for the 
     solution. Do not listen to those who do not know what they 
     are talking about. I have grown up in the `hub' city for the 
     Idaho National Lab and have full faith that if you let the 
     men and women who work there, and similar places throughout 
     the country, ``attack'' the energy problems that they can and 
     will solve the problems promptly and efficiently; they have 
     the ability, so please just give them the funding, 
     initiative, and faith to get the job done!
       As for how energy prices affect Idahoans differently than 
     the majority of the country is that everything here is so 
     spread out. A trip to the next town can be 60 miles, and the 
     only way to travel is by vehicle. Also, in our area, many 
     people drive trucks, but, unlike other areas, the people who 
     drive those type of vehicles here do so because they have to, 
     meaning it is central to their business, which maybe hard to 
     imagine for those who are used to riding in taxis and subways 
     but is absolutely true.
       Thank you, Senator Crapo; out of all of our politicians, I 
     feel like you are actually trying to do good for the country!
     Bobby, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       Senator: In all of your e-mails on this subject of energy, 
     I have yet to read about any active support for the trillion 
     or so recoverable BBIs of oil that are locked up in shale in 
     the Green River area. It was approved for some exploration, 
     and then it disappeared off of the energy screen.
       Why are we not doing anything or very little in the way of 
     federal support for the source? I believe that one of the oil 
     companies developed a method for extraction in situ which 
     gets rid of the problem of shale exploding like popcorn when 
     it is mined and retorted. This source was explored in the 
     seventies and was found to have been economical to produce 
     until oil went back to 10-15 a barrel after the last crisis.
     Ken, Sandpoint.
                                  ____

       Dear Senator Crapo: As an answer about how the price of gas 
     affects here in Oldtown, you might say we are in the center 
     of being anywhere. Any major shopping that my wife and I want 
     to do, we must travel a minimum of 50 miles, to either 
     Spokane, Washington, or to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Using my 
     wife's car for those trips is no great hardship, but still I 
     am out at least 20 dollars for fuel. If it is something I 
     need to haul and drive my pickup, I can figure, about $50 for 
     the round trip. All well and good about getting a more fuel-
     efficient vehicle, but being retired and living on my SS, 
     puts a crimp on any major purchases.
     Ross, Oldtown.

                          ____________________