[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 186 (Thursday, December 11, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10942-S10943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S10942]]
                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 1,200, are 
heartbreaking and touching. While energy prices have dropped in recent 
weeks, the concerns expressed remain very relevant. To respect the 
efforts of those who took the opportunity to share their thoughts, 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:

       We farm close to 200 acres. We are young farmers (under 
     30), and we are trying to succeed in what seems to be a dying 
     occupation.
       A huge blessing right now is that commodity prices are 
     high. Yet ridiculously high fuel prices is causing our 
     overhead to skyrocket. This year we are paying at least $70 
     more per acre on fertilizer, due to the cost of fuel. Today I 
     paid our most recent bill for farm diesel, at $4.409 per 
     gallon. On ag diesel! Being farmers, we of course live 
     outside of town, so driving into town is cost-preventive. We 
     are wondering if there is any end in sight to the rise of 
     fuel prices. Will we be able to continue farming if the costs 
     keep rising? How high will they go? There are so many 
     questions. There has got to be an alternative to being at the 
     mercy of foreign oil suppliers. They are crippling our 
     society.

     Troy and Krista, Caldwell.
                                  ____

       Thank you for providing this outlet to vent. I find it 
     absolutely abhorrent that Venezuela and China can drill 60 
     miles off the Florida coast but the U.S. cannot because of 
     the incredible power of the environmental lobby. (One 
     Senator) a few weeks ago said that even if we drilled in 
     ANWR, it would only affect the pump price of gas by a penny. 
     Yet when the President went to visit Saudi Arabia, (that same 
     Senator) said if the President could convince them to 
     increase output of 1 million barrels a day, it should drop 
     the price of gas by $.50. That is the same output potential 
     from ANWR, and yet he and other obstructionists on Capitol 
     Hill continue to get away with such duplicity and idiocy. If 
     we had started drilling there in the `90s when it first 
     passed Congress, we would now have more control over our own 
     energy destiny. Instead, we continue to find ourselves over 
     an Arab ``barrel.''
       Energy is literally the fuel that drives our economy. It is 
     imperative that we take control of our future by placing 
     national interests ahead of the environmental extremists who 
     exert such control over our nation.
     Richard, Pocatello.
                                  ____

       Thank you for the chance to tell you how the high energy 
     prices have affected our family. I am a stay-at-home mom of 
     two, ages 8 and 6. My husband and I have a lot of family who 
     lives in Utah who we use to travel and visit at least once a 
     month. Due to the high gas prices, we are only able to travel 
     down about every four months. We live just outside Idaho 
     Falls and use to drive where we needed to go without much 
     thought. Now my husband rides his bike to work and only 
     drives if the weather is terrible, and the kids and I have to 
     bike to run our daily errands. That would not concern me as 
     much but the roads we have to travel are very busy and do not 
     have bike lanes, sidewalks, or much of a shoulder so they are 
     dangerous for us to ride on. The kids and I, when we have to 
     bike, usually go about 10-15 miles round trip.
       I would like to see us be able to increase our own oil 
     production and expand nuclear research. We need to be able to 
     stand on our own and not be dependent on foreign oil 
     especially from countries that are in constant turmoil and 
     not friendly to the U.S.
       Thank you for taking the time to listen and for standing up 
     for Idahoans.
     Shaleen.
                                  ____

       This may be the perfect opportunity to stand up for market 
     economics! We Americans are addicted to oil. The pain we are 
     now feeling may just be the kick in the pants we need to get 
     the collective will to do something about it. With gas so 
     expensive, alternatives become much more attractive. If 
     government must act, please do not sacrifice our last 
     remaining wilderness, or oceans, or air, to satisfy our 
     filthy addiction. Act to help us kick our dependence on this 
     stuff that is causing so many of our problems.
     James.
                                  ____

       With a continuing rise in energy prices, our family is not 
     only effected at the gas pump but with an increase in grocery 
     and utility bills as well. Because of the great distances 
     between his clients, my husband drives over a 1000 miles a 
     month for his work. This has put a tremendous amount of 
     stress on the family budget. Our only hope before our family 
     hits financial ruin is that the federal government will think 
     more of the people they represent and less of special 
     interest groups.
     Rebecca.
                                  ____

       We have let the environmental agenda highjack our country 
     and many [conservatives] are allowing it to happen. If we do 
     not start drilling in ANWR and using coal in place of 
     petroleum, we are going to be in a world of hurt. Alternative 
     energy sources are going to be great when they get here, but 
     that is a generation away. As a country trying to stave off 
     the jihadist and Latin dictators, we had better be self-
     dependent on our own energy. I hope Congress understands 
     their [role] in this mess. How about a reduction in fuel 
     taxes? If the American people continue to be pressed, they 
     will react. There are unintended consequences that may be 
     very surprising to some. Thanks for your service to Idaho.
     Wade.
                                  ____

       I have to travel 26 miles one way to work. With the price 
     of gas, it does not pay for me to drive back and forth to 
     work. I like my job but with everything else going up it 
     would be cheaper for me to stay home. I make around $11 per 
     hour and a tank of gas costs me about $50 to fill up a week. 
     That is $200 a month that really bites. I do not know how 
     long I can last without going in the hole and losing my home 
     and cars. If it were not for my wife's job, we would be on 
     welfare or in the streets. Thanks for all your help.
     Henry.
                                  ____

       My wife and I live in Idaho and work in Spokane Washington. 
     We are part of a large group that must commute 35 mile one 
     way 5 or 6 days a week in order to pay our bills. My wife and 
     I spend in excess of $500 per month in fuel just for 
     transportation. This is an immense burden on us and will 
     cause a ripple effect in our ability to do other things.
       The part that is most upsetting to us is that we all knew 
     that energy prices would increase dramatically at some point 
     and our elected officials chose to do nothing to prepare for 
     it. For more than 25 years, Congress has chosen to ignore the 
     need to force automakers to improve fuel economy and we have 
     seen the U.S car manufacturers overtaken by the Japanese in 
     part because the Japanese understood fuel mileage and 
     reliability go hand in hand. Congress has consistently chosen 
     to cut Amtrak funds and to not fund commuter rail and bus 
     lines.
       The American public needs leadership. We do not need to 
     have the latest poll results re-read to us--again. This and 
     other crises facing the U.S. will require leadership and 
     sacrifice. Not Laissez-Faire political inaction.
       Mass transit, enforced CAFE standards, funding for 
     alternatives in transportation, wind, solar and wave 
     generation. No more subsidies for oil companies. These must 
     be the priorities for Congress.
       Nuclear energy is not clean, it is not safe in the long 
     term and it only lines the pockets of the major construction 
     firms.
       Take a risk and lead from the front for a change.
     Mark.
                                  ____

       I have always ridden my bike or walked around town to do my 
     errands, instead of using my vehicle. But when I have to work 
     15 miles away, I have to drive, plus driving is part of my 
     job.
       I can no longer drive to see my 93-year-old aunt; it would 
     cost way too much. Yesterday, here in Hailey, a half tank of 
     gas cost me over $45. I can no longer afford to drive to 
     visit friends or go sightseeing.
       I now have to buy cheaper quality foods and have to eat a 
     lot more starch than I desire to do. Forget beef! That is 
     totally out of the question.
       I do not have air conditioning, so I am not using extra 
     energy there. I am very careful about leaving lights, TVs, 
     computers, etc. off when I am not using them. I run my washer 
     at night and hang my clothes on the line outdoors in good 
     weather, indoors on a drying rack in bad weather. And I have 
     always done this; I have always tried to save energy, but I 
     still get screwed because most people do not.
       I have recycled for many years, and yet there are many 
     places in Idaho where recycling is not mandatory, so people 
     do not bother doing it. This includes well-to-do, educated 
     people, who just do not care, but would change their habits 
     if it were the law.
       The price of everything has gone up, but my salary has gone 
     down, and I am frequently out of work. These are not good 
     times; pretty soon it will be a choice of gasoline or my 
     medications. Alternative fuel vehicles should have been 
     available for the general public at least 30 years ago. We 
     all know the technology is there.
       Sign me as Disgusted in Idaho
     Gloria, Hailey.
                                  ____

       We are changing our lifestyle! We are driving less. I 
     simply have stopped all but the most absolutely necessary 
     trips into town. We are moving appointments to coincide with 
     the one day a week we go to town, including attending a 
     Friday night worship service instead of making another trip 
     into town on Sunday to attend. We have quit participating in 
     activities such as extracurricular lessons and sports as the 
     added driving necessary to do these activities is now 
     unaffordable.

[[Page S10943]]

       Increased energy prices are being reflected in increased 
     food prices at the grocery store and at restaurants. We have 
     stopped eating out at restaurants completely, and have made 
     major adjustments to our eating habits, and to portions 
     served during meals at home. We are going back to a simpler 
     and less varied diet, and just trying to keep the staples 
     like beans, rice, milk, bread, eggs and cheese.
       These changes we have made as a family do have an effect on 
     our local economy, as we are holding on to more of our 
     dollars, and not spending them in the community, the local 
     community businesses suffer--it is noticeable because there 
     are a lot of families like ours who are doing the same thing 
     we are because we simply have to in order to survive.
       Our country is in a real predicament with the way the 
     government has managed our agricultural production as it ties 
     in with energy production. Ethanol is a poor solution as it 
     requires an imbalance in our crop production, and now wheat 
     prices are sky-high and production is behind. Corn uses a lot 
     of water, which requires fuel to pump and irrigate with, so 
     the net result of ethanol production to use is worse than 
     with pure fossil fuel.
       I am not so concerned with the rising cost of fuel, as we 
     truly do have lower fuel costs than most of the rest of the 
     world, and there is nothing wrong with changing our 
     lifestyles to be less consumptive of our resources. What does 
     anger me is that fuel companies are recording record profits 
     quarter after quarter, while the cost of fuel is sending our 
     entire economy into a crisis, and causing our nation to be 
     weakened as a whole.
     Kristine, Spirit Lake.
                                  ____

       First off, I would like to thank you for taking action on 
     our country's current energy crisis. I was starting to think 
     that most of our country's politicians were either simply 
     ignoring the issue or were not taking it seriously. I am so 
     glad to know that you are taking the initiative to look for 
     answers to the problem, and I am even more impressed that you 
     are actively looking for answers among the people you 
     represent. This does more to win my [confidence] than any 
     [action] could ever do.
       My husband and I enjoy traveling, and the rise in prices 
     has definitely cut down on our travel this summer. We are 
     staying home more often and eating out less. My husband is a 
     student in the nursing program at ISU in Pocatello, and we 
     are concerned about trying to pay for gas as he travels 
     between Idaho Falls and Pocatello on a daily basis this fall. 
     In a more specific example, my husband's mother has 
     Alzheimer's disease, and since our time left with her is 
     limited, we planned a family reunion this year to give her at 
     least one more chance to have all of her children and 
     grandchildren around her. Some of my husband's family live 
     far away, and as airline prices continue to increase, it has 
     really strained their budgets to try to buy plane tickets to 
     come to Idaho. As a family, we have all pitched in to help 
     pay needed travel expenses, but it has been tough. I hate to 
     sound like a whiner, vacationing and eating out are things I 
     can, in the long run, live without, but the problem is that 
     energy prices just keep getting higher, and I do not see any 
     light at the end of the tunnel. I am starting to worry that I 
     will not be able to afford to heat my home this winter. This 
     last winter we used an electric blanket so we could turn our 
     heat off at night and save energy, and we kept our thermostat 
     low and dressed in warm clothes during the day, but Idaho 
     winters are cold, and there is not much more we can do to 
     conserve. We have to have energy to heat our homes and 
     transport us to work and school, and we are getting to the 
     brink of not being able to afford it.
       As for answers to the problem, I am no expert on this 
     stuff, but I have done a little reading, and the best answers 
     I can find are as follows:
       (1) Build coal to oil plants. Our country has a lot of 
     coal, and we can produce oil from coal for cheaper than we 
     are buying it right now.
       (2) Make a push to build more nuclear power plants in the 
     US, and get to work on building them NOW!--they take a long 
     time to build and we are running out of time. I realize there 
     is a strong minority in our country that is good at halting 
     any effort toward starting new nuclear energy plants, but I 
     think if the American public were better educated on the 
     benefits, safety, and cleanliness of nuclear power, the 
     public would stand up against those minorities that are 
     stopping nuclear power in the US. That is why I think that 
     along with trying to build more nuclear power plants, we also 
     need to educate the public.
       (3) Drill ANWR. I think that speaks for itself.
       (4) I have been really disappointed that our President does 
     not seem to be saying much on the energy crisis. I think he 
     needs to address the American people and make it clear that 
     he sees this as a national crisis. I think he needs to 
     outline for the public what options are being debated in 
     Washington, and what the road blocks are we face. I really 
     think that if he would address this problem directly and 
     publically, it would capture the public's attention and get 
     people more active in standing up and working together to 
     help fix the problem. When 9/11 happened and our country 
     faced a huge crisis, the people of this country came together 
     to help those in need. I think that if we had a leader that 
     let the public know what was going on with the energy 
     crisis--i.e., why we are having such a huge energy crisis and 
     what our options are to fix things--then the people of this 
     country would band together to find answers. Personally, I 
     would like to see the American public band together to fight 
     against all the minority groups out there that stand in the 
     way of things like nuclear power and drilling for oil in 
     places like ANWR, but that just might be me.
       Thanks for your efforts. I am glad to know someone in 
     Washington is working on this.
     Lalove, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       I believe getting a handle on energy prices is of utmost 
     importance for our economy. If we do not get it under 
     control, I believe we are headed for a depression the likes 
     of we have never seen before. With the trade imbalance 
     growing along with the cost of oil, at some point something 
     is going to break because we cannot keep a deficit growing at 
     this rate. It is vital that we look into alternative energy 
     sources but that is years away and we need to solve this 
     problem now. It also bothers me that a lot of the money being 
     spent is going to countries that support terrorism. That just 
     seems so backwards.
       We need to develop the resources we have. It is so ironic 
     that the activists that are preventing the development of our 
     resources may in fact actually destroy the things they are 
     trying to preserve. I am in favor of protecting the 
     environment but we need to do it in the right way. When 
     energy prices reach a certain point, the majority of the 
     population will demand that these resources get developed any 
     way possible and that would probably end up destroying the 
     environment worse than if we do it the right way now. You can 
     not stop development of it forever and I think we need to do 
     it now when we can control how it is done. In other words, I 
     believe there is a point where the resources will be 
     developed without concern for the environment. I do not think 
     were are far from that.
       In summary, I think we need to start developing our oil 
     resources now and continue to work on alternative energy 
     (including nuclear). If we delay I believe it will be 
     economically and environmentally disastrous for us.
     Brent, Meridian.
                                  ____

       Speed limits 55 mph national. This might help. Slow up and 
     save money.
     Lowell, Emmett.
                                  ____

       We lost our semi, our independent trucking business. We 
     cannot afford groceries anymore. We nearly lost our house of 
     16 years, too. If [changes are not made soon], all Americans 
     stand to lose a lot.
     John and Laurie.
                                  ____

       Reduce highway speed limits. I drive the interstate between 
     Nampa and Fruitland three times per week. The speed of the 
     traffic, although the limit is 75, is 65 or less. Motorists 
     want permission to drive slower. Lower the speed limit to 55. 
     Truckers would then have a reason to drive slower. They want 
     to save money, but since the speed limit is 65 and all the 
     finances around their trip is based on traveling that legal 
     limit--they have to go 65.
     Lori, Nampa.

                          ____________________