[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 36 (Monday, March 2, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2621-S2622]
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 writing to you to help you see the impact that the 
     recent rise in energy costs in this country has done to my 
     family and many other hard working, middle class families in 
     this great State. My wife of ten years and I have been 
     blessed with four wonderful children and have chosen Idaho 
     like our fathers before us as the place we want to raise our 
     children. We love the outdoor recreation that this area 
     affords us. We like to camp and enjoy many motorized 
     recreational activities. We also live in an area where 
     driving is needed for my employment and necessary for 
     everyday survival. Idaho does not have a large amount of 
     public transportation. Our population base does not support 
     it. With many kids I drive a Suburban which is out of 
     necessity, not indulgence as many may think. We need the 
     four-wheel drive for our winters here and the room for all of 
     our children. It is a great way to have one vehicle for all 
     seasons.
       Please begin to drill offshore and in ANWR right away. I 
     believe that with increased production and additional 
     refineries we can make a lasting positive effect on the 
     supplies of oil and gasoline in this country for generations 
     to come. I also plead with you to build more nuclear plants 
     which offer the most clean, high output energy we can 
     produce. We are way behind in this area also considering 
     other countries who generate most of their power with Nuclear 
     Energy. I believe we should take care of our own needs and 
     when I hear that we have more oil reserves than all of the 
     Middle East combined I feel as though our enemies are within 
     not without. If Congress is waiting for a time to act on 
     this, it is now. If our reserves are available and silly 
     legislation is keeping us from them, we need a new group of 
     leaders who are willing to protect the interests of U.S. 
     citizens over all else. Our country is strong but we need 
     affordable energy to stay ahead of the game. I do not mean 
     subsidized energy, for that will only be paid in taxes 
     instead of at the pump. Increase the supplies and sell it to 
     us, and restrict sales to other outside countries. Allow less 
     regulation on refineries, and drilling rigs to promote U.S. 
     companies involvement in increasing the supplies needed now.
     Scott, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       I do not need to tell you a story--they are all the same 
     everywhere. We need to drill in the United States now. We are 
     crippled by our own inaction. The longer we do nothing the 
     longer there will be no relief in sight for high fuel and 
     natural gas prices. We have not seen the worst I am sure. We 
     also need to build oil refineries, nuclear power plants, 
     liquefy coal and expand wind farms. We need to stop diverting 
     precious farm land to ethanol production. Ethanol has turned 
     out to be a huge, wasteful mistake. It uses far too many non-
     renewable resources to produce a gallon. The net effect is 
     nothing in terms of reducing our dependence on foreign oil 
     and look how it has affected the price of food and will 
     continue to do so. To summarize: Drill here, drill now, pay 
     less. Thank you sir for asking Idahoans for their opinion.
     Pam, Homedale.
                                  ____

       I listen every day to the news, telling me how much oil 
     prices rose overnight and how much of an increase I will 
     expect to see at the pump. Each time I hear a one cent or two 
     cent rise, I panic. Not for myself, but for my family. My 
     parents own a ranch in small town Idaho, where fuel prices 
     exceed even our big city imaginations.
       I wonder how they will afford to fill the tractors to plow 
     fields to make the corn that our nation loves to consume. I 
     wonder how they will be able to haul the cows to market in 
     order to sell them for pennies, barely enough to cover the 
     fuel of hauling them.
       Then I hear the government saying they should switch from 
     diesel trucks to smaller cars . . . I have never seen a 
     hybrid that can pull a stock trailer with 12 cows. I hear the 
     government say no more drilling in Alaska, yet they also say 
     we will run out of oil soon. I listen to economists say that 
     our economy is on the downfall. Gas prices rise, food prices 
     rise, Idaho minimum wage stays the same, they continue to 
     develop on the farmland that could provide food for cheaper 
     prices. What are you doing in Washington that is helping 
     middleman America? Nothing and, by doing so, you are killing 
     the America dream one gas pump at a time.
       You ask for opinions, but where's the change? By allowing 
     oil companies to monopolize the industry, the American people 
     have no way of overcoming the fuel shortage.
       Ways you can help:
       Open oil reserves in Alaska.
       Put a price cap on the cost of fuel, forcing lower profit 
     margins for big business oil companies.
       Provide an incentive for creating alternate fuel sources 
     that can meet the needs of ALL Americans (including farmers 
     and ranchers).
       Make hybrid cars more affordable and give incentives to 
     those who want to purchase one.
       Stop giving economic stimulus checks for $600 to the 
     richest and only $300 to the poor/middleman. The middle 
     American needs the $600 more than the person that made 
     $30,000 last year.
     Terra.
                                  ____

       The only real solution to high energy prices is to consume 
     less. I am using less diesel myself by planning trips 
     carefully, carpooling, walking and biking. I see many others 
     in Boise doing the same. I support a higher federal tax on 
     carbon-producing energy sources, with the revenue used to 
     support rail shipping and travel and transit.
     Marilee, Boise.
                                  ____

       Wow, it almost sounds like you are running a commercial for 
     the oil and gas or the nuclear industry. Yes, energy price 
     increases have hurt all Americans, but part of the blame lies 
     with the oil/gas and nuclear industry as well as the average 
     Joe, who have continued to buy gas-guzzling vehicles, buy 
     huge homes that are 40-60 miles from their work location. The 
     oil and gas industry has done little to expand capacity and 
     have repeated huge profits in recent history.
       I have a diesel pickup that rarely moves, only when pulling 
     the horse trailer or hauling the flat bed trailer to move 
     hay, etc. I use coupons at the store whenever possible 
     because of the rising food costs, and we have cut back on 
     going out to dinner, movies, etc.
       But drilling oil in the Arctic or off the coast is not 
     going to solve the problem; the Alaska Pipeline was supposed 
     to solve the oil crises when it was built.
       Every day I commute from Nampa to Boise. I wish I could 
     find someone to commute with or work from home, but the work 
     just does not allow it. But I know lots of people speeding 
     done the highway, who are driving alone in their cars to the 
     same work location, and Idaho has done virtually nothing to 
     conserve fuel, no HOV lanes, no rapid transit, metered on 
     ramps, fact is the Idaho legislature is doing everything they 
     can to prevent finding ways to conserve previous recourses 
     and the U.S. Congress has done little to help. Congress has 
     repeatedly voted not to increase the average fuel economy of 
     vehicles until recently or assist with mass transit projects. 
     Our rail system is falling apart, and Congress is not 
     helping. Moving products by rail is one of the most 
     economical ways to move material.
       Yes, we need to get a handle on high fuel prices, but the 
     best way is to reduce demand. I would support limited 
     drilling for oil and gas, and development of nuclear energy 
     but relaxing regulations is not the way, we need to ensure 
     lots of oversight to make sure it is done right. I have seen 
     hundreds of dead migratory birds caught in oil overflow ponds 
     at drilling sites. I have witnessed the mining industry use 
     toxic waste product as a soil binder on county roads. I have 
     seen companies contracted to build interstate highways steal 
     sand and gravel from the U.S. government, so I have no faith 
     in industry.
       So, please, find a real solution that works. Thanks.
     Rob, Nampa.
                                  ____

       I am writing in regards to your request on how the energy 
     prices have affected our

[[Page S2622]]

     household. It is hitting us hard, my husband works 
     construction and is not getting the hours that he got last 
     year so we are on a lower budget than ever. We used to do a 
     little traveling, not far but weekend trips to livestock 
     shows and to see friends, but now a trip to the grocery store 
     is about all we get to do. No quick trips to the store, if we 
     need something it waits until we have a good list. We used to 
     eat out a couple times a week since we both work, and that 
     does not happen often either anymore. We have sold all but a 
     handful of our animals (South African Meat Goats and dairy 
     goats) due to what the feed increases are.
       The other thing that is amazing to us is that, in 1991, 
     when we bought a Geo Metro, it got 60 mpg easily. Why is it 
     that the manufacturers cannot do that now unless it is a 
     ``hybrid''. If they could do it 17 year ago, what is the 
     problem now? This is just my 2 cents.
     Lauri, Blackfoot.
                                  ____

       Thank you for asking for our input. The energy crisis is 
     hitting our family particularly hard because of the slowdown 
     in the economy. I am a self-employed architect, and, though 
     we had a good year last year, the slowdown has brought our 
     firm to a standstill. I share this because as the fuel prices 
     rise, they affect every sector of our economy. Because our 
     work has decreased, this means even more money needs to go to 
     higher fuel and utility costs, money which we do not have 
     right now.
       I suggest that instead of Congress blaming the President 
     for not having an energy policy that they look themselves in 
     the mirror and ask themselves why they continue to vote in 
     such a way that keeps us in bondage to oil from overseas. If 
     Congress could address this one issue in a unified manner, 
     maybe then their job approval rating would not be lower than 
     the President's job approval rating as it is right now.
       The bottom line is this: we must become energy independent 
     from countries that support terrorism and are not in the best 
     interests of the US. This means increasing US Oil drilling, 
     production, refining, distribution, and increasing our 
     research (working with Oil companies) to create alternatives 
     to oil to run our country: such as hydrogen fuel cells, 
     electric hybrids, etc. We must be able to drill in ANWR, oil 
     shale in Colorado, Utah, and North Dakota; oil in Wyoming, 
     oil in the Gulf, etc. At the same time, we need to transition 
     out of using oil into other energy sources: nuclear, etc. No 
     decision now is still making the decision to procrastinate. 
     Procrastination is not an option.
     Brian, Boise.
                                  ____

       As an average American citizen making just under $30,000 a 
     year, skyrocketing gas prices are hurting the pocketbook. A 
     full tank of gas is costing around $55, which is just crazy 
     to think. It is hard to imagine that just ten years ago gas 
     prices in the state of Idaho averaged $.96 a gallon. With a 
     recession looming, the dollar growing weaker by the day, and 
     unemployment rates on the rise it is a scary time for 
     America. One solution that I can see to help with the gas 
     prices is by suspending all sales of oil on the futures 
     market. It is evident that forecasts by the speculators are 
     driving the prices sky high. While investors are making money 
     on these hedge fund investments, millions of Americans are 
     suffering from paying these high prices. My solution would be 
     to suspend all oil sales on the futures market for 3 to 6 
     months just to see what effect it would have. I believe it is 
     the speculators that are driving the prices with their 
     forecasting of a bad hurricane season or low supply of oil 
     available they are the ones that are the problem. They are 
     the reason for the high prices of oil. By suspending the sale 
     of oil on the futures market this would take them out of the 
     equation and hopefully stabilize the prices. Even by just 
     setting a limit on prices of oil sales per barrel would help 
     stabilize the high prices of gasoline. Overall this is just 
     another example of the rich getting richer and the poor 
     getting poorer.
     Kenneth.
                                  ____

       I appreciate the opportunity to share how fuel prices are 
     impacting our family. We are one of the many that own a 
     diesel truck and have been impacted in a very big way. We 
     purchased our diesel in the summer of 2005 and the price of 
     fuel was $2.11/gal and, as you know, today it is $4.85/gal. 
     That is a 130% increase in the cost of fuel! And to further 
     compound the increase in cost, tighter emissions restrictions 
     have been implemented. When we purchased out truck we were 
     able to get 23 mpg and now that the ultra low sulfur fuel has 
     been mandated our economy has dropped to 17 mpg. That is a 
     26% reduction in economy. As an engineer, I have a difficult 
     time seeing the reasoning behind reducing the pollutants per 
     gallon to only decrease mileage which ultimately increase the 
     amount of pollutant per mile driven. This is very apparent on 
     the new diesel trucks which are struggling to get 12 mph 
     because of the emission controls. I have to ask the question 
     is more than a 50% reduction in pollutants to justify the 50% 
     reduction in economy. There is something that could be done 
     right now and that is to relax the emission on diesel fuel so 
     many families and the trucking industry would get an 
     immediate increase in economy. We saw this during Katrina 
     when the restrictions were lifted, our economy went back up 
     to 23 mpg. Americans would see this relief immediately.
       Our family has taken many measures to help offset the cost 
     of the increasing fuel prices. We have basically parked our 
     truck and become a one car family. We cancelled our kids 
     swimming lessons and our spring/summer outdoor activities 
     (camping, fishing, and hunting) to reduce the cost of fuel. 
     In addition to limiting our driving we have stopping eating 
     out (fast food and sit down) and other non-essential 
     activities. We are fortunate to have planned extra budget for 
     unaccounted costs, however, the increase fuel costs have 
     taken all the extra and we as a family are extremely 
     concerned that Congress is unwilling to act and make the 
     difficult choice.
       What has to happen to have Congress understand the simple 
     principle of supply and demand? I, like many Americans, would 
     like to be able to use a cleaner energy source but, until one 
     is viable with a sound delivery network in place, we have to 
     use the one we have and that is oil. And with the world's 
     political climate, we also strongly believe it is a matter of 
     national security to become less dependent on others for oil.
       We strongly support expanding oil exploration and 
     production in the United States. We also strongly support 
     drilling in protected areas of Alaska. We agree with Ted 
     Stevens when he points out that we as Americans would have 
     that million barrels a day right now if President Clinton 
     would not have vetoed the bill. People that are against 
     drilling in Alaska simply do not understand how little an 
     impact is has on the area. I challenge any person to visit 
     the North Slope and see the operations there and see how 
     exploration is done with little to no impacts with ice roads 
     and the modern techniques. As an Idaho family, we strongly 
     support all measures that will increase the domestic supply 
     of oil. Thank you for your hard work in this effort.
     Cortney and Lori, Star.
                                  ____

       You asked for a line or two as to how the energy expenses 
     have affected our lives. Certainly via the pocketbook, but 
     equally in lifestyle and choices we make. I have reached a 
     time in my life that I wanted to see some of our country that 
     I have not yet been privileged to see. I wanted to drive 
     across Montana and see the Big Horn Battlefield and on to the 
     Black Hills. Drop into Nebraska to see family, then who knows 
     wherever we ended up. Not now. I cannot afford to spend a 
     thousand dollars or more on fuel. I realize that there are 
     new automobiles that are more fuel efficient, only $20,000-
     $30,000+) but if we find ourselves upside down now on a Ford 
     F150 truck that gets 15-18 MPG and nobody wants to buy it 
     because it cannot get 30+ MPG you adjust. Trips now will 
     consist of short radius excursions. Long distance is out. 
     Such ventures are not economically possible. Fuel expense as 
     a percentage of my income has risen notably. The more 
     affluent folks can fill their tanks and shake it off. Some of 
     us feel more than a pinch.
       We also are associated with property under the current CRP 
     program in Power County. Once CRP is removed and the land is 
     resolved to be put into production it will take 3-4 years to 
     prepare the ground for planting. All with no return income in 
     return. Dry land farming has never been a high profit 
     endeavor, but with the expense of the machinery and the 100+% 
     increase in fuel, the small farmer will undoubtedly be out of 
     business--out of business being the operative phrase here.
       I worry for our country if we are indeed slaves to foreign 
     oil and big money refuses to allow a phase-out. We are not a 
     nation of sheep, or are we? We have the technology to fuel 
     our autos using water for crying out loud. Why is not this 
     technology in use? Who is stopping it from becoming an 
     affordable reality? I have asked such questions before of our 
     representatives and have never received a response. Maybe you 
     could be the first. Thanks for listening.
     Dan, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       Unfortunately our family has had to cancel our vacation and 
     any other fishing trips this year. In fact, we will not 
     venture out to any of Idaho's beautiful cities this summer. 
     The cost of fuel and food and our daughter's education have 
     us questioning if we will be able to make ends meet. New 
     technology for transportation will come too late for most 
     working citizens, That is why we need to drill for oil now 
     before the platforms have other countries flags flying.
     Randy.
                                  ____

       The story is the failure of Congress to act in the interest 
     of the American public. Congress continually is bowing to the 
     environmentalist (how they became the majority is beyond me). 
     The current gas price just shows another failure of 
     government. There is an old saying ``Lead, follow or get out 
     of the way''--[it seems like our country is failing on all 
     three.]
       When you sit down at dinner tonight, think about the 85-
     year-old couple who retired 20 years ago and are drawing 
     Social Security in the amount of $980 month. How would you 
     put food on the table, pay for health care, housing, 
     transportation and enjoy your golden years. The story is the 
     failure of Congress to act beyond personal interest.
     Dean.

                          ____________________