[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 4, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1539-S1540]
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:

       We consider ourselves very fortunate that we can still do 
     the things we want. However, we certainly feel the bite at 
     the pump. We are retired (but still working) and were hoping 
     to travel, but the cost is going to get in the way of that. 
     We have cut out unnecessary trips, have a small, efficient 
     car that we use now more often than our pickups and look for 
     ways to conserve. We live in a rural area and no matter how 
     we try to stay close to home, we still have to travel some 
     distance to get supplies and groceries. We still need to 
     drive our pickups and cannot always take the car. Our 
     tractors and other machinery need fuel. Rural Americans are 
     going to feel this more than others. We have longer distances 
     to drive, we have more need for fuel and we do not have 
     public transportation, etc. There is only so much cutting 
     back we can do and still earn a living or make ends meet.
       High gas prices cannot help but have a negative effect on 
     other businesses. In an area that used to have a thriving 
     economy based on natural resources (timber), we were told to 
     become dependent on tourism to replace that. This is what 
     happens when tourism is the basis of your economy--people 
     stay home, businesses go belly up, the local economy suffers.
       The solution is to begin stepping up the pace to develop 
     our own energy and accompanying infrastructure so that we do 
     not need to be so dependent on countries who certainly do not 
     have our best interests at heart. We cannot afford to place 
     our natural resources off limits and expect the world to meet 
     our needs. It is morally wrong to exploit other countries' 
     resources while our own are locked away.
       Thanks for the opportunity to comment.
                       Wayne and Julie Burkhardt,
     Indian Valley.
                                  ____

       I most likely will never meet anyone of you. I believe that 
     you must be great, because you were voted to your place where 
     you are seated today, by others just like me, barely keeping 
     my head above water. I believe in this great nation, I 
     believe that your jobs are to be the voice of the great 
     people of this nation. We believed that you could that why we 
     voted for you. So fight for us, our voices are lifted and we 
     are screaming for help. There is no reason we should be here; 
     as a young set of thirteen colonies we broke away for taxes 
     and tyranny. Please tell me why we are at the mercy of 
     tyranny again, and paying those very high taxes.
       If we can create a nuclear bomb that kills people, we can 
     spend a trillion dollars a year on a war that kills people 
     and brings this country to its knees. By god we can do 
     something other than this dependence on oil.
       Let us be leaders again. Let us be a great people again.
     Anna Reed, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       First of all I thank God that I live in Idaho and for the 
     most part my representatives represent me. Secondly, I feel 
     that the rest of the U.S. Congress is absolutely out of touch 
     with average American citizens. I feel that MY beautiful 
     state of Idaho where I live with like-minded people will not 
     be able to make its voice heard in the U.S. Congress. I could 
     tell you how my family is being hit hard by sky-high 
     gasoline, and energy prices, and how I have cut back on 
     driving. I could tell that if gas prices and the cost of 
     energy continues to rise I will be forced to take drastic 
     measures just to keep food on the table and get to work. 
     However, I am truly worried that the elitists in the U.S. 
     Congress will just rub their hands together and say, our plan 
     is working we are saving the globe from warming. Somewhere 
     along the way the majority of our representatives in Congress 
     have forgotten they are just that--representatives. They have 
     taken it upon themselves to be gods thinking they have the 
     moral high ground and who cares how the everyday average 
     American is effected by their decisions. Yes, the United 
     States is too dependent on petroleum for our energy and we 
     are far too dependent on foreign sources of that petroleum. 
     But are we willing to let the economy continue to be crushed 
     because our Congress has bought into the fallacy of Climate 
     Alarmism? Yes! We should be passing legislation to fully 
     utilize proven American oil and natural gas reserves in a way 
     that preserves the environment for future generations. That 
     is why I strongly support policies that will take further and 
     full advantage of nuclear energy technologies, wind and solar 
     power, and effective renewable and alternative fuels. The 
     Congress must take serious action that will result in reduced 
     energy dependence of fossil fuels or provide financial relief 
     for those hit by the recently-skyrocketing prices. If the 
     moral elitists in Congress don't act quickly there will not 
     be any tax payers left to save the world. The oil companies 
     make four cents a gallon; the government collects 18 cents a 
     gallon--I think we should be investigating Congress.
     Toby Anderson.
                                  ____

       My family has very much felt the painful effects of high 
     oil prices as I have seven children (four of them teenagers). 
     Even with planning our trips into town we spend an average of 
     $570 just on fuel, not mention the increased burden of 
     escalated costs of all other commodities that we purchase! I 
     am a believer in taking care of our environment and being 
     responsible caretakers of the earth, but our government and 
     our economy being held hostage by ``save the planet'' extreme 
     leftist special interest groups has got to end!!! We need to 
     wean off of oil as a major source of energy but that will 
     take time as I understand it. Therefore, as a temporary 
     measure we need to tap into our resources. That will buy us 
     enough time to establish new technologies such as hydrogen 
     (which I believe is a great method of powering vehicles). The 
     best and one of the safest methods of producing electricity 
     is nuclear, utilizing the ability to reuse the fuel. Drilling 
     for oil, harvesting coal, nuclear, and production of hydrogen 
     can all be done in an environmentally sound way, freeing us 
     from bonds of other countries that would like to kill us and 
     the environmental wackos that believe that the world would be 
     a perfect place without humans and they would like to see us 
     revert back to the 1700s or go away completely! To me, energy 
     is a national security issue that must be dealt with 
     immediately. Please help us out of this mess that we have 
     allowed ourselves to get in through bad government policies.
       Thanks for letting me vent.
     Paul Petersen.
                                  ____

       Sen Crapo, let us see, I can't drive my diesel truck and I 
     do not use my boat, I go to work and back. I think you need 
     to take the oil off the stock market and start drilling. What 
     the hell is wrong with everyone in D.C.? You are making so 
     much money off of oil you cannot take care of this.
       Thanks.
     Don.
                                  ____

       In response to the story we saw on KTVB 10 p.m. last night, 
     and again this morning, I would like to submit the following:
       It is amazing how God knows what is coming and has a way of 
     preparing us for it.
       Seven years ago, before gas prices started their initial 
     climb, I stumbled upon a deal on a '79 Honda CB650. I had not 
     ridden a motorcycle for eleven years (same length of time it 
     had been sitting in a warehouse). Initially, I did not think 
     I should spend the $800. But a few weeks later decided I 
     could not pass up the deal. Right after I bought it, gas 
     prices started inching upward.
       Last year, my wife, who has never even expressed interest 
     in motorcycles and even asked me what I needed one for when I 
     bought the CB650, began asking questions about riding. And 
     about a month later (May), she decided to go ahead and do it. 
     We got her a little 150 scooter and signed her up for Idaho 
     STARS, but the first opening was not until Sept 7th. So we 
     did a lot of practice in parking lots before the course 
     began.
       My elder daughter (31 at the time) had been asking me to 
     teach her to ride for a couple years. But I had to tell her I 
     did not have a bike that was suitable for beginners. It was a 
     high-revving machine that was easy to stall, besides being a 
     rather heavy machine for her to pick up if she dropped it. So 
     when she heard about her mom and found out they provide the 
     bikes for the STARS course, she signed up for the same class, 
     and so did her husband. All three were trained the same 
     weekend.
       In short, our solution for high gas prices (at least until 
     Congress acts to provide more permanent relief) is to ride 
     two wheels as much as the weather will allow. We prefer not 
     to ride in the rain, and fortunately for us, summertime is 
     very dry here in the Treasure Valley. However, we do have to 
     face the fact that such tactics will not do us much good when 
     fall and winter come along.
       For the moment, we marvel how God prepared us well in 
     advance, and now gas prices are $1.00/gallon higher than last 
     year.
       Here is a sample of our present savings. Nancy's present, 
     freeway-capable 400 scooter gets 52 mpg. She can go 135 miles 
     on 2.6 gallons. We are presently paying $4.289/gal for 
     premium at Shell. Those 135 miles cost us $11.15, or little 
     over 8 cents a mile.

[[Page S1540]]

       If she drives the same 135 miles in our '02 Pontiac 
     Bonneville that gets 22 mpg, she will burn 6.1 gallons of 
     regular unleaded at 4.099/gallon for $25.01 (18.5 cents a 
     mile.) So every time she fills the scooter, she saves $14.14 
     in fuel cost at present prices. Savings numbers on my 
     ``bike'' are slightly less, but comparable since it gets 46 
     mpg. My fill up for 135 miles is 2.9 gallons (same grade) for 
     $12.59, about half of what it costs to drive. And a little 
     publicized fact is that motorcycles contribute a lot less to 
     air pollution, besides being fun to ride, and easier to park.
       Like a lot of other comments I have seen on the subject, I 
     also think we should be drilling oil in ANWR as well as our 
     own oil fields in Texas (where production numbers are managed 
     by the Texas Railroad Commission), Oklahoma, California and 
     off-shore to reduce our dependence on foreign oil from 
     countries that do not have our best interests at heart.
       We definitely need to build more nuclear power plants, more 
     refineries to balance supply with demand, and proceed with 
     coal conversion, wind energy, and solar power. I know that 
     hydrogen powered cars only emit water, but hydrogen is so 
     highly explosive, I think it will be a tough sell and will 
     take decades to develop an infrastructure for those daring 
     souls willing to participate. A scary thought is what effect 
     the presence of such cars will have on the safety of other 
     travelers.
       Respectfully,
                                          Gene Heikkola, Meridian.
       Today's energy prices and the rate of incline are far 
     exceeding the rate of pay for many jobs in our area (Idaho 
     Falls). As young adults just starting a family, it is 
     depressing to think about the future and not know if I am 
     going to able to provide for my family.
       If we are waiting for a rainy day to tap into our domestic 
     oil sources, that time is now! With all of the advancement in 
     technology hopefully our reliance on fossil fuel is going to 
     diminish so why not use them now. Our economy needs it; if 
     less money is spent on filling vehicles people could travel 
     and spend money to boost the economy.
       Thanks.
     Jared.
                                  ____

       Thank you for your concern and for taking action on our 
     behalf on the high costs of energy and its effects on the 
     average Idaho family. In your email you mention that the 
     average Idaho family spends $200 per month on gasoline. I 
     feel that that is way too conservative of an estimate. My 
     wife and I spend are now spending $600 per month on just 
     gasoline. I drive a Honda Accord and my wife drives a 
     minivan, neither of which are horrible gas guzzling SUVs. 
     This is putting a real strain on our budget and we are having 
     to cut back in other areas to compensate for the high cost of 
     fuel. We believe that as a nation we should become energy 
     independent. We both support offshore drilling, drilling in 
     the ANWR, processing oil shale in the Rocky Mountain states, 
     nuclear energy, along with all other forms of energy 
     production. We need to clear the way of lawsuits by declaring 
     a national emergency, of which this is. We cannot continue to 
     be the light of freedom to the world if we are dependent upon 
     the countries that are trying to stomp that light out for our 
     very existence. Thank you for concern in this matter.
     Fred and Kamala Free, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       The inability of our government to work together has 
     reached a point it is killing our country. When one party 
     tries to advance an idea the other kills it because it does 
     not fit just right with their program. I have never seen the 
     likes of it. I am a registered and a dyed-in-the-wool 
     Republican but have been having these crazy thoughts that I 
     should vote for a Democrat for President so at least there 
     would be a majority in Congress with a President to go along 
     with it. Crazy thoughts but I am sick of the gridlock.
       We are retired and have spent a lifetime getting ready so 
     we could travel and see the country and enjoy these last 
     years of our life. All of the sudden we cannot even hardly 
     drive any longer and we find ourselves not being able to make 
     ends meet at the end of the month. As prices keep going up we 
     will find ourselves in trouble as our income is fixed.
       We should be drilling for oil everywhere it is. Why we have 
     blocked drilling all over the country and allowed ourselves 
     to become hostages to OPEC, I will never be able to 
     understand. We are a free society but oil is so critical to 
     our well being there needs to be some oversight on this 
     business to make sure they are refining to capacity and 
     drilling everywhere. We should not be importing one barrel of 
     oil. The way it is now, the oil companies hold down refining 
     to keep the prices up.
       Also we should be building nuclear power plants now for the 
     future. Why we stopped building them I do not know.....
       Good luck. Please get with your Democrat partners and work 
     something out....anything is better than nothing.
     Val Meikle.
                                  ____

       Thank you for taking enough interest in the issue of high 
     gas prices to ask Idahoans. Personally, though it is a hit on 
     the budget and will change the amount of time our fifth wheel 
     spends in storage rather than on the road, the high prices 
     are more of a nuisance than a threat. For that my wife and I 
     are blessed. The bigger issue for me and for the many other 
     Idahoans that I talk to is that we, the little people, 
     understand how to fix the problem and apparently our 
     government does not or will not. We need to immediately start 
     drilling where we know there are oil reserves (Alaska, North 
     Dakota/Montana, off shore) and begin construction of new 
     refineries as the drilling progresses. Also, begin the 
     immediate construction of nuclear power plants to eliminate 
     natural gas fired plants so that those resources can be 
     diverted to other uses. We should begin work on oil shale 
     research and development. Lastly, continue to encourage the 
     development of economically feasible alternatives for our 
     next generation of automobiles but let's not abandon what we 
     already have. I had two ten-year-olds staying at our house 
     last night and as we watched the 10:00 p.m. news they made 
     comments that made it clear to me that they understood that 
     government was the biggest obstacle to solving our current 
     'energy crisis' (so called). Congress needs to shed the bonds 
     they voluntarily accepted from the environmental crowd and do 
     what is right for our country.
     Don and Gae Burton, Meridian.
                                  ____

       I own a small landscape design and build firm in Boise. The 
     skyrocketing fuel costs are a big hit to my little company. 
     At the prices today, I am spending nearly $3,000 a month on 
     fuel for four trucks and some small equipment. That is a cost 
     to my company of $150 per day. It is hard to pass on all the 
     higher expenses and still be competitive in the marketplace 
     so the net effect is a hardship to my bottom line. This year 
     my fuel costs will be more than 50 percent of my salary.
       What is our energy policy? Why do we allow other nations to 
     drill off our coast lines only to ship the oil away from our 
     shores and sell it back to us at high prices? When are we 
     going to free ourselves from the Middle East and other 
     nations such as Venezuela whom have such a hatred of America? 
     Showing the rest of the world that we are serious about our 
     own energy independence will have an immediate impact on the 
     current price we pay at the pump.
       We need to develop a dual approach. We need to open up 
     drilling in ANWR and other areas around our country. We need 
     to work towards weaning ourselves off of foreign oil and gain 
     American oil independence.
       At the same time we need to work on alternative forms of 
     energy and collectively, government and private industry will 
     be able to solve this crisis.
       How about a little focus on our own energy independence and 
     let's start taking care of ourselves, stop all the back 
     biting political posturing and come together as Americans for 
     the good of the nation and our long term survival as the 
     greatest nation on God's Green Earth.
       Thanks for listening.
     Dave, Boise.

                          ____________________