[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 157 (Monday, September 29, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10056-S10058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH ENERGY PRICES

  Mr. CRAPO. Madam 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 well over 1,000, are 
heartbreaking and touching. To respect their efforts, I am submitting 
every e-mail sent to me through an address set up specifically for this 
purpose 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 am worried about our country. The Senate is in a position 
     to do something about it. Currently we are being kicked 
     around by oil interests both abroad and within our 
     boundaries. This must come to an end. [Misinformation is 
     being circulated about energy.] For example, if we drill in 
     new areas in Alaska it will affect gas prices of a penny a 
     gallon ten years from now--this is a ridiculous statement. 
     They have no basis for a stupid statement like that. I 
     believe we need to eliminate importation of oil on principle. 
     It is essential to drill by opening up new fields in Alaska, 
     offshore on Pacific coast, the Atlantic coast, and the Gulf 
     of Mexico. Shell Oil indicates that they can extract oil from 
     shale for $28 per gallon. Even with government subsidies, I 
     advocate a crash program to start extracting oil from shale 
     and from oil sands in Canada. It requires energy to extract 
     oil from shale. Why not atomic energy to extract that oil? In 
     American Falls, we are trying to get a coal gasification 
     plant. We could use your help in running that through. 
     Potentially this can be a cheap source of hydrogen. American 
     Falls has the potential of truly being in a county of power. 
     There is also the potential of using plant materials for 
     alcohol production. We have an incredible debt. This is a way 
     of solving that debt problem. All things are possible; we 
     have the means to do it. We can solve our energy problems 
     while simultaneously turning America around economically.
     Jim, Moscow.
                                  ____

       What I want a Senator for Idaho to vote for legislation 
     that will help solve our climate crisis. And a Senator who 
     does not couch his words in terms such as utilizing proven 
     reserves; that means you want to drill in ANWR, right? You 
     are the problem, not the solution.
     Bud, Victor.
                                  ____

       Thank you for asking for our input on this incredibly 
     important matter. I own and operate a 3,000-acre diversified 
     farming operation in Oakley. I raise potatoes, wheat, barley, 
     corn and alfalfa. I probably do not need to say any more 
     about how energy prices are affecting my operation. Not just 
     fuel alone, but so many other inputs that we depend on such 
     as fertilizer, chemicals, PVC pipe for underground irrigation 
     are going up faster than fuel. In the Idaho potato business, 
     we depend on a national market to stay viable because of our 
     distance from large population areas. The cost of sending a 
     semi-trailer load (450 cwt.) of potatoes to Florida is 
     currently over $6,000. That is making it far more difficult 
     to compete with the local growers, even though their product 
     is usually inferior to Idaho.
       As far as my view of a solution. Drill here and drill now! 
     It is ludicrous and maddening what the liberals has done in 
     curtailing our ability to use our own resources. They are 
     100% responsible for this mess, and they will pay down the 
     road if they do not realize it soon. As a nation, we are on 
     the verge of an energy crisis that I am not sure we can ever 
     recover from, if it occurs. Their plan to push conservation 
     and tax the big oil companies is simply irresponsible. No one 
     ever saved their way into prosperity. We need to turn the oil 
     companies loose to tap our own reserves and build more 
     refineries, and allow private enterprise to develop new 
     sources of energy.
       Thanks again for this opportunity to vent.
     Randy, Oakley.
                                  ____

       I ride my bike so my gas price is $0/gallon. Plus, my 
     pollution impact is non-existent, impact to the roads minimal 
     and impact to my health is high.
     Mike, Boise.
                                  ____

       Our concrete and sand and gravel business uses between 
     30,000 and 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel per month. So our 
     unexpected increase in costs is almost $500,000 this year. 
     The knee-jerk answer to this problem I hear is ``you guys 
     just pass it along to the consumer''. But we have commitments 
     to certain prices on our jobs. Jobs in our industry do not 
     get repriced every night when fuel goes up. So we cannot pass 
     all of the increase along and so profits suffer.
       The other side of this is what about the consumer of our 
     products? What does he do with that kind of increase? He is 
     the homeowner, the small contractor, the big contractor, the 
     farmer, or the dairy owner. He takes the hit so we can export 
     our whole productive economy to foreign countries that hate 
     us anyway. How much of this run up is speculation? When the 
     bubble bursts, will the federal government bail out the 
     speculators?
     David, Rupert.
                                  ____

       I have got a story on energy prices for you. My story is 
     based on fact from the congressional record of Senator 
     Crapo's voting history.
       Once upon a time (in 2007), there was a good energy bill 
     (H.R. 6) that supported the research and development of 
     alternative fuels. (This should have been done a long time 
     ago so the work could have been done ahead of time so it is 
     ready we need it, instead of now when it is an ``emergency'', 
     but the Congress did not care about it then.)

[[Page S10057]]

     There was an amendment to this bill (1505) proposed by Sen. 
     Inhofe that would have given many billions of dollars to the 
     oil companies instead of having that money go to supporting 
     alternative cleaner renewable energy resources. There had 
     already been a history of [giving billions of dollars in tax 
     breaks to the oil companies. I believe that the oil companies 
     have suppressed information on cleaner energy, pollution 
     impact on the environment, and vehicle efficiency 
     technologies through media spin. Senator Crapo says he is a 
     good man and supports cleaner energy sources instead of the 
     oil companies. But when the vote for the Inhofe amendment 
     came up, he voted for it. And the nation lived miserably ever 
     after.]
       Seriously, when you go along with the president on such 
     outrageous things as imprisonment and torture of people in 
     secret prisons for indefinite periods without charges filed, 
     suspension of habeas corpus, illegal wiretapping of U.S. 
     citizens without warrants and then giving retroactive 
     immunity to the telecoms for doing it, etc., etc., I find it 
     hard to take seriously your claim that you have the public's 
     best interest in mind. You are voting along with the 
     president's wishes in serious violations of the Constitution. 
     It is against your oath of office, and you should not be 
     doing it.
     Rockford, Boise.
                                  ____

       Historically, the United States has paid less at the pump 
     than all other industrialized nations. Today--with the 
     alleged heinous increases--we continue to pay less than 
     Canada does at the pump (over $2/liter) and as you know it is 
     from Canada that we get most of our oil. I approve of 
     protecting the environment at the pump.
       Thanks for asking
     Lynn, Island Park.
                                  ____

       I support your recent position of the ``global warming'' 
     legislation that would have resulted in higher gas prices and 
     higher energy costs, in general. I cannot believe that 
     Congress has failed to act on measures to make this nation 
     independent of OPEC's monopoly; we saw the current situation 
     coming way back in the 1970s with long gas lines etc. I am an 
     environmentalist; however, I believe we should responsibly 
     develop all potential oil reserves including off the coasts 
     and in ANWR. This ``global warming'' hysteria is plain old 
     hogwash, and a lot of players are or will make millions off 
     people's fears. It is a proven fact that the planet and the 
     oceans have been in a cooling state since 1998; the record 
     snowfalls in Idaho this year are testimony. It has been shown 
     that the activity on the sun if far more important than man's 
     activities when it comes to changing climate. Man's 
     activities simply make things worse than they would be 
     naturally.
     Bill.
                                  ____

       Thank you for taking the time to ask about the people here 
     in Idaho. Recently my husband lost his job. With high gas 
     prices, it has been difficult for his to travel to job 
     interviews. I have had to find a new job, because I cannot 
     afford the 40-minute drive to and from work everyday. My 
     father and mother live in Logan, Utah. My dad has cancer and 
     became very ill last February. He became paralyzed from the 
     cancer, choking off the spinal cord. Luckily, he is 
     recovering very well. But both my parents need help. 
     Unfortunately, with the high gas prices, I have not been able 
     to visit my parents in three months. My family cannot afford 
     to take a vacation. Not even a short drive to Yellowstone 
     Park. With no job for my husband, sky-high gas prices, high 
     food prices, we cannot do anything. My husband may end up 
     taking a job 8\1/2\ hours away from us. With gas prices, we 
     will be lucky to see him once a month. This is a sad 
     realization for me and my three children.
       My in-laws and several friends are farmers. Their lives are 
     a struggle. Farmers are talking about selling their beloved 
     farms for housing developments. This will happen is the gas 
     prices do not come down. Then where will we be? There will be 
     no food for anyone. At least, we will not be able to afford 
     the food in the stores. The future is looking bleak for the 
     people in our areas.
       Senator Crapo, please do something to help the people of 
     Idaho. Let the Senate know we here in Idaho do not want to 
     lose everything. Help the prices go down; help the people 
     feel they can enjoy life.
     Katrina, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       I am the Director of Career Services at ITT Technical 
     Institute here in Boise. Many of our students are driving 
     from as far away as Ontario, Oregon, to come to our school. 
     Since the gas prices have increased, we are seeing it impact 
     our enrollment level and our drop level. Many of our students 
     would love to take the bus to our campus, but our classes get 
     out at 10:30 at night and there are no busses running late 
     enough to get them home. Why is it we do not have buses that 
     run at least until midnight on all of the major streets in 
     the valley? I know that more people would ride bus if it 
     actually accommodated their work, school, and shopping 
     schedules. How can we get out of our cars, when there are no 
     viable alternatives?
       I am a baby boomer taking care of elderly parents. As I age 
     and my parents age, I am more aware of the dangers we face 
     with elderly drivers on our roads. Their reflexes are slower, 
     their hearing is bad, and their eyes are often clouded with 
     cataracts. We need a safe an efficient way of transporting 
     people of all ages around the city.
       Our elderly and disabled are often confined to their homes 
     where they are out of our sight. Many of them are living at 
     or below the poverty level. These prices are forcing those 
     who already have cut back on everything to now look at 
     whether or not they can even buy food.
       To make alternative transportation even worst, we do not 
     have roads that our designed to accommodate both cars and 
     bicycles. I would actually ride a bike to work, or even walk 
     if their was more than 12 inches between me and the cars that 
     are going 45 miles per hour along side me.
       My last word is, drill now in the U.S., and help us to 
     become less dependent on countries that hate us. The entire 
     world is looking to find alternative to gas and we have been 
     trying to find alternatives ourselves since the 70s. We are 
     not the only nation hurting from energy prices. Are we so 
     arrogant that we think we are the only ones who are hurting 
     from this, or the only ones who will solve the problem? 
     Alternatives to gas, is not something that will be solved 
     overnight. We can drill safely and we can do it quickly. We 
     know where it is, all we need to do is drill. So while the 
     world is looking for a solution. Let us drill and improve our 
     public transportation systems.
     Barbara, Boise.
                                  ____

       I bought this 2004 Toyota pickup when gas hit $2 a gallon 
     and traded a V8 4 X 4 gas guzzling Hot rod Dodge! I had to 
     trade it for a car when it hit $4.13 a gallon on June 13, 
     2008. I have a few friends and relatives that are not so 
     lucky! The dealerships will not take their late model 4 X 4 
     V8's or Diesels in trade. These aforementioned vehicles are 
     now nearly worthless. In some cases, the owners owe more than 
     twice as much as they are worth.
       Drill Drill Drill Build Build Build more refineries. Take 
     the handcuffs off the oil industry. Give huge tax incentive 
     and cut the [rhetoric] about windfall profits.
     Perry, Meridian.
                                  ____

       Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the current 
     energy situation in Idaho. The increase in gasoline prices 
     has definitely had an impact upon my family. We are feeling 
     the pinch not only in fuel prices but in the prices of 
     everything we buy. We recently purchased two used three-
     cylinder cars, a Geo Metro and a Subaru Justy as an attempt 
     to save on commuting costs. Sadly, there does not seem to be 
     anything we can do about our other increasing costs.
       We are firm believers in the viability of nuclear power. I 
     believe that we have the solution to most of our energy needs 
     already in hand in the form of nuclear power generation. 
     France and Japan produce 85% of their electricity by nuclear 
     power and neither nation has reported any significant 
     problems. We have the technology and the resources to make it 
     safe and economical. The American masses who oppose the use 
     and expansion of this technology are driven by fears based on 
     outdated information and are lead by uninformed or self 
     promoting fear mongers. We need to move quickly to support 
     nuclear technology. We need to expound on the facts and 
     expose the purveyors of false information.
       Nuclear power produces far less pollution and has a far 
     safer history than any other type of power generation 
     technology. The waste generated by nuclear power generation 
     can be captured and safely stored in a can until we develop 
     the technology to permanently dispose of it. Can we say the 
     same for fossil fuel-based energy production? No, we spew it 
     out into the atmosphere where it affects everything and 
     everyone. If those who claim that the world is being 
     destroyed by global warming truly believed their own rhetoric 
     they would support the expansion of nuclear power generation. 
     I believe the solution to the so called ``nuclear waste 
     problem'' could have been developed by now had we continued 
     our research funding and as a result we would not be facing 
     the energy crisis we now find ourselves in.
       If you would like additional information with supporting 
     documentation I would be happy to provide it. I am not a 
     nuclear scientist and do not profess to be an expert at all. 
     I only hope to see this viable technology considered as part 
     of our policy to reduce foreign oil dependency.
     Tim, Boise.
                                  ____

       In 2004 my mother-in-law passed away in Filer. My father-
     in-law was not coping well without his wife. My wife and I 
     live in Soda Springs. We made the decision to have the wife 
     move back to Filer with her dad for awhile. She found a great 
     job in Twin and things were going well so we purchased 
     another home in Twin and she stayed there helping her family, 
     Dad and making much more money with a career in Twin Falls 
     that was not available in Soda Springs. This was fine until 
     last year when fuel started rising. With two homes, double 
     utilities and raising gas prices our weekly commutes of 177 
     miles between Soda and Twin all but ended. We are in the 
     process of moving the wife back to Soda and renting out the 
     Twin Falls home. Fuel costs and rising costs in general have 
     created a huge hardship for us. With both of our incomes, it 
     is just cheaper to combine in Soda rather than try to 
     commute. With two good incomes, you would think we would be 
     in fat city! We give up a very good income by my wife moving 
     back to Soda. We have almost divorced over this as it has 
     caused so much stress.
       My thoughts on energy: I know we have much natural gas and 
     it burns in vehicles

[[Page S10058]]

     but no infrastructure to utilize it. It is also clean. I also 
     know this country has a huge supply of coal. The Germans 
     refined gas from coal in WW2. The tree huggers and go gooders 
     will never permit it. We need to stop any use of foreign oil 
     as soon as possible. They have us over a barrel . . . no pun 
     intended.
     Bob and Dianne, Soda Springs.
                                  ____

       I am a disabled 52-year-old man on a fixed income; SSI. I 
     am a past City of Pocatello employee for almost 20 years in 
     the field of law enforcement. I have no retirement and depend 
     solely on SSI income. I was born and raised in Pocatello, 
     worked for the municipality and now struggles to survive. I 
     now stay home or go to medical appointments. I no longer has 
     discretionary funds, not even for gas.
       That's my story, and I'm stuck with it.
     Michael.
                                  ____

       Thank you so much for your honest interest in the everyday 
     Idahoan and the effect that gas prices have on our lives. I 
     do not have a unique story to share with you. I am 
     wholeheartedly in agreement that we need new sources for our 
     energy usage. I believe that we need to drill for oil on our 
     own soil. It would seem to me that there must be ways to do 
     that and keep environmental concerns in mind. I believe that 
     there are things that can be done to make vehicles use 
     gasoline more efficiently; perhaps even run on alternate 
     materials. Public transportation needs updated and should 
     include ways to help all members of our population.
       I am very fortunate that my husband and I have jobs that 
     have not been cut due to the recent rise in energy costs, but 
     we are making changes in the way we live our day. I got a job 
     closer to home, we stopped going for evening drives as a form 
     of entertainment, we are not going on a vacation this summer, 
     we combine our errands into one trip, we had a more efficient 
     heating/cooling system installed in our home, and got a more 
     efficient roof. We are doing what we know how to do, as I 
     imagine are most people.
       I do want to suggest that docking the oil companies with 
     wind-fall taxes isn't going to help. They will just hike the 
     prices of the gas to cover their taxes. Some creative minds 
     need to be gathered together to help the U.S. get themselves 
     out of the mess they've gotten themselves into. It is time to 
     cut the ties with eastern oil producers. That would seem a 
     much more efficient and strong message than fighting with 
     their countries' leaders. Big oil companies will, no doubt, 
     have to make some changes to the way they do business. We all 
     have to make changes. So many people have lost their jobs. 
     For some people, the cost of gas offsets the income they make 
     by going to work.
       I hope these thoughts will be of some help to you. I thank 
     you, again, for working to help all of us.
     Peggy, Boise.

                          ____________________