[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.
____________________