[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 129 (Thursday, July 31, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7893-S7895]
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:

       I have a 2001 Hyundai Elantra, well maintained, until 
     lately--I can no longer afford much [periodic maintenance]. 
     In any case, it gets approximately 35 mpg. It now costs me 
     over $50 to fill the tank. My wife works 32-35 hours per week 
     at [Walmart] in Ontario, Oregon. She makes $10 per hour, 
     since it's in Oregon. [She drives more than] 18 miles each 
     way to work.
       My doctor at [the Veterans Administration hospital] is 86 
     miles one way. My wife's orthopedic doctor is in Nampa--
     roughly 50 miles. [She has another doctor] in Meridian--
     roughly 68 miles each way. I am disabled on Social Security 
     disability. I receive army retirement and VA disability, 
     partially offset by my retired pay.
       Thank God and Walmart, I get a slight discount on household 
     expenses at Walmart.
       We're talking $200 per month, or more, for gasoline. Do 
     something besides talk! Drill Here--Drill Now--Pay Less!
     Taro.
                                  ____

       I doubt you will use this story because it will not help 
     support the corporate energy giants or their lobbyists and it 
     will not reaffirm the status quo as I believe Washington 
     wants to continue to do.
       We are paying more for energy at our house, just like 
     everyone else. It costs us more to drive to work, to visit 
     family, to

[[Page S7894]]

     take a vacation and to keep our home because of high 
     gasoline, electricity, and natural gas costs. Food costs us 
     much more, too.
       But we are taking action ourselves to reduce the costs and 
     contribute helping solve the larger question about global 
     warming and what we are doing to our own environment. We 
     bought a hybrid car to reduce gas consumption. We bicycle to 
     work. We turn off lights when we leave the room. We turn down 
     the temperature of our water heater. We contribute to our 
     utilities green energy program. We recycle, reuse, and 
     restore. We invest in only green energy and companies that 
     are forwarding a future that is not dependent on fossil fuels 
     and that gives back to the people and resources they depend 
     on. And we buy only food that is grown in as sustainable way 
     as possible to support the best farmers and the practices 
     they use. We support farmers who are stewards of the land.
       And I know high fuel prices are making Americans use less 
     gas, drive less, and think more before they get in the car 
     and take a trip. The same is happening all across America, 
     even previously unresponsive corporations like Walmart and 
     Chevrolet and Ford and General Motors are taking actions to 
     curb fuel costs, use less fuel, make more efficient cars, and 
     save energy because the rising prices and changing energy 
     markets affect their bottom line. The only ones who are not 
     taking any action are those who are making a profit from high 
     energy prices.
       The fact is, changes in the world of energy prices and 
     changes in our perspective on how humans are affecting the 
     environment we live in are changing too. And people are 
     taking action rather than wait for our unresponsive and 
     partisan public officials to do something.
       If you do anything or want to take any action, promote 
     energy conservation in any and all ways and renewable energy 
     production in all its forms. Under no circumstances should we 
     further exploit the fossil fuel resources this country has. 
     We will need them in the long term so they are investment in 
     our future and best kept where they are and their 
     exploitation now would only speed the further decline of this 
     country and our global environment.
       If you want to promote nuclear energy, then any proposal 
     and supporter of such a bill should also volunteer their land 
     and the land of their family for the storage of nuclear waste 
     (the Idaho National Lab does not count). . . Or such 
     proponents should volunteer to move next to the site that 
     will store such waste. If you or anyone else can pass that 
     red face test, then I would support moving ahead with such 
     legislation.
       I think, first and foremost, you should pass a cap and 
     trade bill on carbon. It is the only way in which we can 
     develop a viable economy and take advantage of the new 
     opportunities offered by the challenges of energy in the 
     future and preserve the planet in which we live.
       I also think that the profits being afforded to energy 
     companies as a result of increasing costs to citizens should 
     be taxed. No one wants to remove corporate profits but record 
     profits and changes in markets to provide for this are 
     opportunities for providing funding for new and important 
     initiatives without undue loss of corporate profitability or 
     returns on investments to shareholders.
       The ``problem'' with America is that we do not want to 
     sacrifice our future for the short term economic gain of a 
     few short years and the short term political gains one party 
     or the other can make. We are not like China in that way and 
     if we stoop to competing with them at that level, we not only 
     destroy the environment but lose our values and what we stand 
     for. This has been the approach of the current administration 
     and its party and it is something we need to excrete out of 
     our system as soon as possible so that we can once again 
     embrace the democratic principles and public trusts this 
     country was founded on.
       I wish you luck and I hope you can see your way to what 
     needs to be done. We all will be doing what we can out here, 
     in the land of the free and home of the brave.
           Respectfully,
     Gregg.
                                  ____

       I work at the site and drive 100 miles roundtrip. Our union 
     per diem has not [increased] in years to stay current with 
     the outrageous gas prices. It has also affected my being able 
     to go to Island Park to the lot my parents bought in 1970 and 
     has since been willed to me. I used to make weekend trips 
     every week but cannot even afford to buy gas to pull the 
     trailer up to the lot, let alone pull the boat up and buy gas 
     for it. I am the Job Supervisor for Construction on the Tank 
     Farm Closure Project and have received several recognition 
     awards for my work and just won the Eagle Award for the Tank 
     Farm. Maybe I can sell them and get money for gas to continue 
     going to work. We need to build Generation IV reactors and 
     start getting our own oil and not depend on foreign countries 
     that can't stand us to begin with.
     Larry, Blackfoot.
                                  ____

       Like many Americans, my husband and I have tried to support 
     the American economy by buying U.S. branded products; but as 
     we are getting to within seven years of retirement we need to 
     make our retirement savings a top priority. We calculated the 
     cost of owning our Ford vehicles and compared them to the 
     overall cost of a Toyota Prius using $3.20 a gallon gas cost. 
     The Prius won by a nose, so we bought one last year. This 
     year we traded in our last Ford for another Prius. We have 
     been able to keep our retirement savings at the same level 
     because of these purchases. This, of course, means we can no 
     longer haul the larger loads or go into the back country on 
     the unimproved roads like we did before the cost of gas 
     became unreasonable. We have made accommodations; but the 
     changes have limited our recreation choices. These are 
     minor issues compared to the families who cannot make 
     these changes because they have mortgages that are now 
     close to the value of the property due to the falling real 
     estate market and their other costs have risen with the 
     price of gas. These people are being squeezed from all 
     sides.
     Kathleen.
                                  ____

       [Thank you for not passing the climate change bill] that 
     was one of the stupidest bills I have seen. It is no wonder 
     the approval rating is so low. Keep up the good work--and 
     keep those [other Members] in line--It will take some time, 
     but they will be out [of office soon].
     Unsigned.
                                  ____

       We have seen the prices of not only gas, but groceries, 
     going up and up. Because we need to continue to buy gas in 
     order to keep doctors' appointments, get our son to work, go 
     to church and the grocery store, etc., we have had to 
     purchase less food. The fruits and vegetables are now priced 
     so high, we are unable to include them in our diet. As you 
     know, these are essential for our health! We live on Social 
     Security--and that does not go up!! It is becoming more and 
     more of a struggle just to pay our utilities, prescriptions, 
     and insurances. We would love to be able to drive out of 
     state to visit our children, but cannot afford to drive that 
     far. On top of all of that, our property taxes are going up! 
     We pay our bills, then wonder just what we will eat for our 
     next meals! It is almost to the point that one of us (both in 
     our 70s) will have to find a job.
       Thanks for listening to people like us.
     Karol, Nampa.
                                  ____

       We need to look for alternative fuel. Perhaps now since it 
     is hitting our pocket books we will be more willing. Please 
     stay out of the environmentally-sensitive areas; no need to 
     destroy our environment for short term gain.
           Thank You,
     Asa.
                                  ____

       I was retired and had to go back to work due to the higher 
     energy prices and increases in the cost of food.
     Albert.
                                  ____

       While you sit high and mighty in your posh and air-
     conditioned jobs, listen in on how two teachers in Idaho have 
     to get by so we can pay our taxes to pay your well-padded 
     salaries . . .
       Both my wife and I are State Certified Teachers. Both of us 
     are highly-educated (myself with a Master's in Education from 
     University of Idaho and my wife with a Bachelor's in Special 
     Education from Boise State University). Neither of us can 
     find jobs teaching here in the Treasure Valley because school 
     districts are cutting FTE's in order to spread their already 
     overly-inflated budgets in multiple directions. We have a 
     baby on the way with no medical insurance and no way to 
     qualify for aid as we are considered too wealthy, because we 
     both were teaching last year.
       Life is getting interesting for us as we have cut all of 
     our spending in our budgets to buy gas for our little VW bug. 
     We no longer can afford to drive to the movies, as that is 
     gas we need to look for work. We no longer spend money on 
     luxury items, as that is money set aside to buy gas to get to 
     work. We no longer eat out, as all restaurants are rising 
     their prices in order to keep up with their own costs. That 
     is also money we need for gas to get back and forth to work. 
     We work to feed the car now, not each other. We eat Top 
     Ramen, macaroni & cheese, and salads (fine, yes, but it gets 
     old after a while), because we can no longer afford to eat 
     the healthier foods because all of the stores have raised 
     those prices to just outside of our reach. For us, it is 
     now about survival . . . not living.
       You politicians need to understand just whose money you are 
     spending when you schedule your flights and eat your meals 
     and then bill it to the people. You need to look at your own 
     waistlines and paychecks and consider taking a pay-cut like 
     we do. You are not there to get rich! You are not there to 
     build your career! You are there to represent us! That is it!
       Consider cutting your own spending by brown bagging lunch 
     from your own home budgets and kitchens, instead of ordering 
     and charging it as a tax write-off. Consider video 
     conferencing more often instead of bouncing back and forth 
     across the nation in an airplane for your meetings. 
     Conference call like the rest of us! Ride a bike when you can 
     or a motorcycle or scooter and become the leading example you 
     originally set out to be!
       Please understand, from where we are you are an unnecessary 
     expense on our taxes. If the government cannot afford to pay 
     its bills, it should stop spending! Not raise more revenue by 
     raising more taxes.
       We the People are looking at a government out of control. 
     As stated in the Declaration of Independence:
       `` . . . that to secure these rights, Governments are 
     instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from those 
     governed,--That

[[Page S7895]]

     whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these 
     ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish 
     it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on 
     such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to 
     them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and 
     Happiness.''
       This government is bent on overburdening its citizens. 
     According to the Declaration of Independence, such government 
     should be ``altered or abolished.''
       Please do not get me wrong and think I'm anything but a 
     patriotic American. Indeed, I spilled my own blood for this 
     country of mine! I fought a war of bone cancer in the U.S. 
     Navy, causing me to lose my right tibia. I have been fighting 
     for twenty years for a right knee replacement, but I am told 
     I cannot have one because of Veterans Administration policy 
     and budgets. I received a Purple Heart at Balboa Naval 
     Hospital, but it does not show on my DD-214. Am I bitter, 
     yes! But, I still love my country!
       There are countless millions of people out here (outside of 
     your 3-piece suits and luxury cars--outside your sphere of 
     influence) who feel just as I do, but there seems to be 
     nothing we can do about it. Vote yes, sure, but ultimately it 
     is you who make the decisions right, wrong, indifferent, fair 
     or not fair. How you make your decisions personally and 
     politically makes the determining factors of whether you 
     stand for us or against us . . . the People of these great 
     United States of America.
       You must choose whether or not you get to keep your jobs 
     gentlemen. I now have a Master's Degree, a chip on my 
     shoulder for politicians, a loud voice, and a lot of free 
     time! Shall I work with you or against you?
       Here are our requests:
       Cut Foreign Oil Purchasing!
       Cut All Big Oil Subsidies . . . on all fronts!
       Cut your paychecks in half, even for three months to show 
     good faith!
       Make 100 percent BioDiesel a priority!
       Make diesel vehicles and electric vehicles a priority now!
       End gasoline vehicle production now, not 20 years from now!
       Make Alternative fuels vehicles a priority now not 20 years 
     from now!
       Electrical power can be harnessed all day long in the 
     desert, why isn't it?
       Wind energy can be harnessed in the desert, why isn't it?
       Why burn coal to make electricity when you can burn Brown's 
     Gas (HHO) for half the cost and zero percent emissions 
     released into the air?
     Jonathan-David, Meridian.
                                  ____

       Your thinking is not unique . . . it is rhetoric we have 
     heard for the past 30 years. Jimmy Carter and his lies about 
     a shortage are still around. It is you and our Congress that 
     has caused this problem. You allowed the Environmental 
     Protection Agency and Department of Environmental Quality and 
     all the environmentalist to control your thinking and votes. 
     I do not think I am wrong in my facts, am I? Your fuel taxes 
     and so-called regulations are taking the U.S. economy down. 
     We will soon be controlled by foreign economies if we do not 
     take our own resources and begin using them. You know we are 
     the 3rd largest oil producer in the world yet we use so much 
     foreign oil that it has become a joke? We had over 500 years 
     of oil and natural gas reserves in the 70's. Can you tell me 
     what happened to them? Do not answer me unless you have the 
     facts about the info from the 70's. I hope you will stand up 
     and be counted when it comes to the controlling liberal 
     environmentalists' whining and crying. I truly believe you 
     can get this done and soon. Tell Congress we need to open up 
     our reserves. We have plenty for the next few centuries and 
     by then we will have a new energy source. Thanks for 
     listening.
     Ron.
                                  ____

       In your e-mail, you have said that you support wind energy. 
     I was disappointed to see that you voted against the 
     Production Tax Credit that would help the wind industry to 
     continue to grow.
     Stephen.
                                  ____

       I will be 67 this October; my wife is 58. I am still 
     working, at a [lower] salary than I once commanded. This 
     fiasco on gasoline and diesel prices has caused me to wonder 
     if I will ever be able to retire.
       I own a motor-home; having traded in my one-ton diesel 
     pickup and a 5th wheel trailer due to the screaming increases 
     in diesel fuel. Now I cannot travel at all the way we had 
     planned and hoped. All of my immediate family is in the 
     Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas areas--it may be that for 
     some of my family I may never see them again. Selling the 
     motor home is foolish at this juncture in that I can never 
     hope to even almost recoup my investment.
       It is essential that Congress immediately find and drill 
     for oil anywhere in our own territories. At the same time, 
     there should be major tax breaks given to those that can 
     provide a) sensible alternative fuels or b) major 
     improvements in the internal combustion engine. Nuclear 
     energy has been stupidly legislated out of the future as 
     well.
       My concern is that when we had the majority and the 
     President, we did not seem to have the leadership that could 
     provide the increase in oil search, production and 
     refinement. Now it seems that we may no longer have the 
     Presidency and for sure will not regain the majority in the 
     legislature. It is my firm belief that the opposition will 
     choke our economy to death with continued pressures on 
     ethanol or taxation on larger vehicles--all under the wing of 
     left-wing partisanship.
       Substantial increases in the supply, while changing the 
     demand via alternative fuels, seem to be the only sensible 
     way to go.
     Al, Hayden.

                          ____________________