[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 6 (Monday, January 12, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S301-S303]
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 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:

       I am a forester and a close job for me is 100 miles round 
     trip per day. Occasionally I can camp out near the job, but 
     not always. I am required by the nature of forest roads and 
     the nature of my business to drive a four-wheel drive pick-
     up. This is not energy-efficient, but there is nothing I can 
     do to change the nature of my business.
       I have been a practicing professional forester for over 40 
     years, and this crisis is not a surprise to me. I have seen 
     it coming since the Wilderness Act was passed in the early 
     1960's.
       The current energy crisis is merely one part of the larger 
     problem and that being the misanthropic environmental 
     movement that refuses to use and manage our natural resources 
     for the benefit of mankind and particularly our great nation.
       When I started my career in forestry, Region 6 of the U.S. 
     Forest Service returned timber stumpage dollars to the U.S. 
     Treasury in addition to the counties for roads and schools. 
     The U.S. Congress, under pressure from an ignorant and 
     dedicated misanthropic preservation movement, has relegated 
     the U.S. Forest Service into a hopeless, ineffective agency 
     that now draws money from the Treasury.
       The U.S. Forest Service has managed to go from a win-win 
     situation to a lose-lose situation in a little over forty 
     years.
       I have used the following analogy for years: you or me, 
     Senator Crapo, are given a fully stocked grocery store and 
     within a week have gone broke, have rotting produce, have 
     burned down our storage room and are requesting funds from 
     the bank.
       The U.S. Forest Service burns millions of acres of forest 
     annually. Insect epidemics are destroying millions of acres 
     annually, and the logging industry has been emasculated to 
     the point whereby firefighting is ineffectual i.e. no roads, 
     no tractors, etc.
       I may have appeared to go off-track with my discussion of 
     forest management issues, but I assure you the issues 
     confronting forestry are the same as those facing other 
     natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable.
       The oil industry has regulations forbidding drilling in the 
     Arctic, offshore in continental U.S., no refineries, etc.
       Energy is suffering, no nuclear, no coal-fired, breaching 
     dams, and, in short, these ``well-intentioned'' environmental 
     whackos are more intent on destroying our capitalist system 
     than saving resources.
       P.S I am working with folks who own the patent rights on a 
     machine that converts forest slash into a powder that we 
     think is the breakthrough for the cellulosic production of 
     ethanol.
     Lewis, Eagle.
                                  ____

       We are retired and on a fixed income. We can drive or not 
     as we wish, unlike other folks who work. All of the things 
     you mentioned in your e-mail should be accomplished. Becoming 
     non-dependent on foreign sources for fuel should be a top 
     priority. When our former President said we will start a 
     program to put us on the moon before, the

[[Page S302]]

     population and industry responded. If our leaders will take 
     the same approach to developing our oil sources, wind power, 
     nuclear power, and all other alternative energy, and 
     encourage conservation, I believe the American people and 
     industry will rise to the challenge. Why did we not learn the 
     last time when we all parked in lines on our given day to get 
     gas?
     Laura, Twin Falls.
                                  ____

       I cannot understand why Congress cannot see the need to 
     allow the United States to access more of our own energy 
     sources. Yes, we need new alternative fuels, but we also need 
     to become more realistic about our solutions to the energy 
     crisis. We need to combine research and start making use of 
     our own current oil discoveries. We need to start drilling in 
     the places where oil has already been discovered. Why has 
     Congress ridiculed President Bush when he asked the Saudis to 
     produce more oil when Congress refused to do the same right 
     in our own country? He did ask Congress first. I would like 
     to see the Congress invite the scientists who do not agree 
     with man-made global warming to testify and bring their facts 
     forward. Forming an energy policy on an unproven crisis does 
     not make much sense.
       On another subject, why do the senators only take calls and 
     emails from their home states when all of you represent the 
     United States of America and your actions impact all of us?
     Gloria.
                                  ____

       We have let the left with their environmental agenda hijack 
     our country and many [conservatives] are allowing it to 
     happen. If we do not start drilling in ANWR and offshore 
     [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 culpability in this mess as well 
     as the President. 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.
                                  ____

       We are a retired couple. When we were working, we socked 
     lots of our money into various retirement funds and, 
     therefore we are comfortable even with the high energy costs, 
     at least at the present time. Due to our fixed incomes, we 
     watch prices going sky high and this gives us concern.
       ABC News, June 11, 2008 released the following and I am 
     wondering if you could verify this.
       ``Congress decides how much oil companies are taxed, what 
     forms of alternative energy development--such as solar and 
     wind power--are subsidized, where oil companies can drill and 
     how fuel efficient our cars need to be.''
       ``For years, lawmakers have fought over proposals to expand 
     offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and to allow drilling 
     in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Republicans 
     have pushed for such increased exploration, but Democrats 
     killed the latest push, saying it would do little to ease gas 
     prices in the short term and could have dire environmental 
     consequences.''
       ``There is oil in the Arctic but getting it would come at a 
     cost.''
       ``The Democrats came back with their own hodgepodge of 
     ideas, including giving the president the authority to 
     declare an `energy emergency' and sue OPEC nations, prosecute 
     price gougers and assess a `windfall profit tax' on oil 
     companies. Senate Republicans killed that measure.''
       ``And for years Congress has ignored proposals to increase 
     fuel-efficiency standards, or CAFE standards. The standards 
     just got their first major overall in three decades with the 
     new legislation calling for automakers to boost fleet wide 
     gas mileage to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.''
       ``Although the public has clearly moved to the acceptance 
     stage, Congress has not. Congress is still stuck at this 
     anger stage so they want to blame speculators. They are 
     pandering. They want people to feel good about themselves. 
     They want somebody to blame.''
       ``There is also a lot of money at stake for the 
     politicians. The oil and gas industry is one of the top 
     donors to political campaigns year after year.''
       ``In 2004, the industry donated more than $25 million to 
     politicians around the country, according to the Center of 
     Responsive Politics.''
       ``And the bulk of that money--more than $20 million--went 
     to Republicans. Bush's re-election campaign alone received 
     $2.7 million of that money. (Bush also got nearly $2 million 
     from the oil and gas industry in 2000.)
       ``Washington politicians set the nation's energy policy but 
     could they be doing more?
       ``This year is also turning out to be a lucrative one for 
     politicians, with more than $14 million from the Industry 
     reported to the Federal Election Commission by the end of 
     April, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.''
       ``And again, that money is flowing mostly to Republicans--
     this time about 73 percent of contributions.''
       ``But there is more money at stake. The oil and gas 
     companies spend millions of additional dollars, hiring a mass 
     of lobbyists to push legislation their way. In the last 
     decade, the Center for Responsive Politics has tracked more 
     than $640 million spent by oil and gas companies on 
     lobbying.''
       Not all the blame rests with politicians.
       We Americans are addicted to our cars, driving more than 
     necessary, thanks, at one time, to cheap gas. Instead of 
     living close to our workplaces, we have chosen to live in 
     large suburban developments or in faraway rural areas that 
     require a car for even the simplest of errands. Americans 
     spend more than 100 hours commuting to work each year, 
     according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is more time than 
     most Americans spend on vacation. In 2003, the average daily 
     commute was more than 24 minutes. And most of that time is 
     spent alone in a car.
       America has less than 5 percent of the world's population 
     but we consume about 25 percent of the world's energy 
     resources. China and India are rapidly increasing their share 
     of the energy market--which is helping to drive up prices--
     but America still dominates.
       Americans have abandoned cities to live in sprawling 
     suburbs that require a car. Americans have also been buying 
     large gas-guzzling cars for decades, most recently big SUVs. 
     Consider this: The Ford F-Series pickup truck has been the 
     best-selling vehicle in the United States for 26 years. 
     (There were occasional months when it was beaten in sales--
     but always by another truck, usually the Chevrolet 
     Silverado.) Some drivers are changing their habits now.
       If the OPEC nations decided to increase production by, say, 
     1 million barrels, then there might be some relief in the 
     markets. While such an increase might lead to lower prices at 
     the pump now, it is not a long-term solution. There is only 
     so much oil in the ground, and if more is pumped today there 
     is less for the future. With explosive growth in China, India 
     and elsewhere it is very likely that all the extra oil would 
     quickly be consumed and prices would skyrocket again.
       Oil prices are high because of worldwide demand. But part 
     of the price spike comes from market moves. The first--and 
     easiest to understand--is that oil is priced in U.S. dollars. 
     So when the value of the dollar falls, as it has in the past 
     year, the price of oil goes up for Americans.
       But the market is much more complex than that. Many 
     investors--some call them speculators--are pouring money into 
     oil when they had previously ignored it. Basically, many 
     investors are spooked by the subprime housing market and 
     other problems with the financial sectors, and have fled from 
     the stock market. Instead of investing in stocks and bonds, 
     these investors have chosen to place their money in oil, 
     driving up the price.
       Bill O'Grady, chief investment strategist for energy at 
     Wachovia Securities, said that part of the problem also has 
     to do with the Federal Reserve setting interest rates so low. 
     He said that when inflation is 4 percent but investors are 
     only getting 1 percent for their cash in the bank, they look 
     for other investment options. Normally, real estate would be 
     one of those options. But with that market collapsed 
     investors are turning toward commodities such as gold, corn 
     and oil.
       Plus, every time there is some geopolitical fear, prices 
     rise. The latest such tension comes as Israel and Iran, the 
     world's fourth largest oil exporter, are having a way of 
     words. Israel has threatened to attack Iran's nuclear 
     program, and Iran has threatened a strong reprisal.
       This above came from the ABC News--June 11, 2008.
       I understand there is a very large quantity of oil in North 
     Dakota, Montana and Southern Saskatchewan. What's the problem 
     with going after these? I would appreciate your response to 
     the above. Thanks you for the opportunity to relate these 
     issues to you.
     Helen, Rupert.
                                  ____

       I would like to thank all the players in Washington DC for 
     bringing the price of oil up to its current level to help 
     save the environment, I never realized how green the 
     administration and Congress actually were. Allowing jobs to 
     be shipped over seas, borrowing money from China to fund a 
     war that cannot be won, and allowing the housing crisis to 
     occur are all some of the best policies one could think of to 
     raise the cost of fuel for the little guy and at the same 
     time reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. I would like 
     to thank all the millionaires that we have representing us in 
     DC; I am sure they all have fully funded re-election war 
     chests. Thank you for using your time wisely by trying to 
     save brain-dead people, preventing gays from getting married, 
     and supporting the upper 1% of families instead of using your 
     time fixing problems like funding Social Security, making 
     health care affordable and keeping manufacturing jobs in the 
     USA. The last eight years have been a blessing to all of us. 
     Please keep up the good work, before you know it there with 
     will be a horse and buggy in every two-car garage in this 
     country.
     Robert, Boise.
                                  ____

       The high cost of fuel is affecting us by not being able to 
     see some of our children who live far away and they are 
     asking us to help them with unexpected bills. My husband 
     drives 26 miles each way to work. It has really increased our 
     expense. I work at the site and they are going to increase 
     our bus rates double. If this happens, I will be forming a 
     carpool and many others will as well. This will create much 
     more traffic on the road

[[Page S303]]

     and there will be more exhaust which will cause much more 
     pollution. Also there will be more wrecks. There has got to 
     be something more done. I feel that the U.S. will become 
     weaker and it will threaten our national security. I believe 
     there will be violence as people are unable to provide the 
     necessities of life. It really is a threat to our nation.
     LaRee.
                                  ____

       Very simply, we are reducing the amount of money we spend 
     on everything other than gasoline. We are having to pay more 
     for natural gas, electricity, and food because all are being 
     impacted by the increase in oil futures. We have not taken a 
     vacation this year and will not be able to afford one anytime 
     soon.
     Robert.
                                  ____

       Thank you so much for offering us an opportunity to share 
     with you how gas prices are affecting our family. We are a 
     family of four, and we purchased our home in Kuna because 
     housing was more affordable in this rural town. We are 8 
     miles from I-84, and just about everything requires us to 
     drive to the freeway and beyond. My husband works 8 miles 
     from home; our adult daughter works 8 miles from home; our 
     adult son works 12 miles from home; and I spend my time 
     driving to doctor appointments in Meridian and downtown Boise 
     (12-20 miles)--and back. As you mentioned, there is no public 
     transportation.
       During the summer, our children work almost fulltime, and 
     they each earn approximately $1,000 per month. They both 
     drive high-mileage vehicles, but their gasoline bill is now 
     approximately $120 per month. When the school year begins, 
     they will both cut back on their working hours and increase 
     the number of miles they drive, as they both attend BSU. 
     Their income will drop to approximately $700 per month, and 
     they will be adding approximately 70 miles per week to their 
     mileage, at an estimated additional cost of $70 per month. If 
     their schedules permit, they can carpool to school, leaving a 
     car in Meridian so they can each drive to work in the 
     afternoon. Obviously, this does not leave much room in their 
     budgets for car insurance and other expenses. Fortunately, 
     they live at home with us.
       My husband and I have greatly reduced the number of times 
     we go out to dinner, and we select more fast-food restaurants 
     lately. We try to run our errands while we are out in 
     Meridian and combine trips. My husband recently had to fly to 
     Florida on business. Normally, we would pay for me to join 
     him; we did not do that this time, as airline tickets are 
     prohibitive. We had already arranged to rent a cabin in 
     California for a week, as our summer vacation, and that trip 
     begins next week. Since we are taking five adults and two 
     cats, we will be driving a Chevy Suburban (ouch!). We have 
     not even estimated what that is going to cost in gasoline, 
     because calculating it would only ruin our vacation. It will 
     be interesting to find out which was the higher cost, the 
     rental of the cabin or the gasoline for the car. Needless to 
     say, we will not be renting a cabin in California for our 
     next vacation if gas prices continue to be this high. We are 
     also seeing the prices of groceries inch up. The cereal boxes 
     and ice cream cartons are smaller, but they run out faster. 
     My husband and I do not have a lot of cushion in our budget 
     to help our children with their budgets. I am unable to work 
     because of health issues (but social security does not want 
     to pay me the disability benefits I earned). My husband's 
     employment at Western States Equipment (Caterpillar) is all 
     that is keeping us afloat.
       Thank you so much for all that you do for Idaho families, 
     and we hope this information helps you in your endeavors. Any 
     help would be great.
     Sondra, Kuna.
                                  ____

       Energy prices affect all aspects of our lives. Food, home 
     heating, all shipping charges, it goes on and on. Most of us 
     are fearful of our heating costs for this winter coming. We 
     had such a long cold winter, if it costs double it will hurt 
     everyone. I really feel for the young families. There costs 
     for housing, cars, food, energy and all that children need, 
     it is almost impassable without help. We have to drill for 
     oil and build refineries. We should not be paying other 
     countries for energy that we can produce here. It does not 
     make any sense. Please help make the [Congress] understand.
     Julie, Worley.
                                  ____

       If I see or hear of fossil fuel one more time, my head will 
     explode. It is not from fossils. How did they get that deep 
     in the earth. Abiotic oil--do your research. Now on this 
     stupid carbon credit [issue] related to so-called global 
     warming--we all could stop breathing that cut CO2 
     by 90% and the Earth could stabilize. Thank 
     you for doing what you can.
     Jeff, Nampa.
                                  ____

       The way the energy crisis have impacted my life is I have 
     come to the realization that are politicians in Washington 
     are more interested in protecting big business than their 
     constituents. Nothing is done about illegal immigration 
     because it might affect the economy but the only thing more 
     important to the economic infrastructure of the USA then 
     cheap fuel is oxygen. Drill for oil, build nuclear power 
     plants, construct windmill farms and offer incentives for 
     solar power and preserve what is left of our way of life for 
     future generation.
     Dale, USMC retired.
                                  ____

       From where I am sitting, [too many in Congress] are 
     directly responsible for the current high energy prices. The 
     Bush energy policy was decided by Vice President Cheney and 
     oil company executives. Even now you are protecting Big Oil 
     profits at the expense of alternate energy support.
       Your feigned attempt at feeling my pain falls on my deaf 
     ears.
     Marvin.

                          ____________________