[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 41 (Monday, March 9, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2906-S2908]
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:

       My husband and I are not feeling the effects as much as 
     others, except perhaps at the supermarket. I use Valley 
     Transit or walk because I am legally blind and cannot drive. 
     My husband has been a cyclist most of his life and also has 
     the mindset of using alternative transportation. We live 
     close to his place of employment, so he walks to work. Our 
     19-year-old daughter, who has a vehicle of her own, has 
     parked it for the most part and rides her bike to work from 
     the Northwest Boise to Zoo Boise. We are pleased that she has 
     been influenced by our lifestyle of not being tied to a 
     vehicle for transportation.
       It has been my opinion for many years that many Boiseans 
     are greedy motorists. They must have their cars, a huge part 
     of their image....too good for public transportation, and 
     they are rude behind the wheel. As a pedestrian, I cannot 
     tell you how many times I have almost been hit in the 
     crosswalk when I had the walk signal. Many times a turning 
     motorist has accelerated to beat me through the crosswalk. 
     Also, I have been in the middle of a busy intersection with 
     the walk signal and had to stop for turning drivers as they 
     were not going to stop for me. That infuriates me!
       And then, we have the air quality issues in the Treasure 
     Valley that most greedy motorists totally ignore...it is not 
     their problem, apparently. How irresponsible!!
       So, to be honest with you, I am not so unhappy about the 
     situation, and only hope that people will start using 
     alternative modes of transportation and that there will be 
     less cars on the street for both the safety of pedestrians 
     and the improvement of air quality. Maybe it will take a 
     bigger price hike to alert citizens to their responsibility 
     for the issues of their community and the environment.
                                                          Marilyn.
       PS. I am a respected, educated native of Boise and my motto 
     is, ``If the bus is good enough for me, it is good enough for 
     everyone.'' I know the local transit system is not the best, 
     but if perhaps increased rider-ship increases revenue, 
     perhaps there could be an increase in routes and efficiency.
                                  ____

       Our lives have been greatly affected by rising energy 
     costs. My local store prices are high and we have been unable 
     to afford gas to go 65 miles to a cheaper outlet grocery 
     store.
       Gas prices have made it almost impossible for us to visit 
     our children and grandchildren who live 4-1/2 hours and 2-1/2 
     hours away respectively. We used to visit them (and they 
     visited us) about once a month. Now we are reduced to twice a 
     year.
       Propane and electricity have risen too, making eating out 
     or a movie impossible. We are a lower middle class family 
     making about $40,000 a year, yet we cannot afford anything 
     but the basics. How are we supposed to ``tighten our belts'' 
     any further?
       These energy considerations should have been taken into 
     account while President Clinton had his first term. At least 
     then we would be in a much better position today. Not that I 
     am excusing this Congress or President from their 
     responsibility. Please do not wait any longer to protect our 
     citizens from slowly going broke. Otherwise we may not be 
     able to afford Congress at all!
     Renata, Kamiah.
                                  ____

       I absolutely agree with your policy of using our own 
     resources to keep America's economy going. Our electrical 
     company has diesel-powered trucks to travel a six-state area, 
     and we are not able to pass along all our overhead because of 
     the tight bidding of jobs. Also, our employees have to have 
     more wages just to keep even or we are not able to keep them. 
     Bottom line--our net return is down.
       The time to act was several years ago, but in reality ANWR 
     and coastal drilling has to be on fast track along with oil 
     refining capacities increased. Some time when we reach a 
     crisis mode other alternatives are explored but in the 
     infancy stage the timing is not here yet to allow an impact, 
     although we need to proceed ahead with incentives so other 
     forms of energy can come on line. Has the federal land bank 
     been explored to use fees paid for no production to be 
     applied to raise (example: safflower seed for diesel fuel)??
       I appreciate the effort you are doing for our nation and 
     state.
     Tom.
                                  ____

       I do not support more drilling or any other method of 
     increasing the oil supply. Rather, I would see our money go 
     to sustainable sources. Fund quality research and development 
     of alternative energy (other than those that will compete 
     with food supply) rather than throwing good money after bad.
     Simonsons, Boise.
                                  ____

       Like most Idahoans, the escalating price of gasoline is 
     hitting my family very hard. We do not drive SUVs; we drive 
     small 4-cylinder vehicles. But, when the price of gasoline is 
     four times higher than it was a few years ago, and our wages 
     have not increased, we are having a hard time, even living 
     paycheck to paycheck.

[[Page S2907]]

       I believe that the ban on domestic drilling for oil is 
     another of many senseless acts of national suicide. Moreover, 
     I believe that the idea of human-caused global warming is a 
     grab for political power by the elites over our sovereign 
     people. I watched a Nova program on PBS several years ago 
     called ``Cracking the Ice Age'' where the statement was made 
     that the majority of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere come 
     from volcanoes and deep-sea geothermal vents.
       The environmental policy implications of this statement are 
     staggering. It means we are not harming the environment by 
     driving our cars. The high price of gasoline may be making 
     the radical environmentalists feel good, but it is destroying 
     our nation's families. I admonish you to lift the ban on oil 
     exploration and to firmly resist the idea of some in the 
     Democrat Party to nationalize our country's oil companies, 
     with the ensuing Soviet style rationing of gasoline that 
     would inevitably result.
     Duane, Hayden.
                                  ____

       The effects of rising gasoline prices are hugely 
     negative!!!!!
       We chose to keep our home in Bingham County because of 
     rural living expenses seem to be less than city taxes, etc. 
     However that creates the need to drive 50 miles round trip 
     for me and 100 mile round trip for my husband each day. Our 
     budget is strangling as a result of the inflated fuel prices. 
     They have removed the flexibility we once had to visit our 
     families who live in southeastern Idaho. My father is 
     approaching 90 and needs more visits. How do you prioritize 
     visiting my father or saving the money so I can get to work 
     each day? Or visiting my son and grandchildren or saving the 
     money to get to work each day! Mind you, I am also in a 
     carpool to help with the current gouge to the pocketbook as a 
     result of the super-inflated gasoline prices. We are 
     conserving in every way possible but it still is adding to 
     the pain every time we need to put gasoline in our vehicles. 
     Media refers to the prices and ``feeling the pinch''. That 
     connotation does not even begin to describe the ``pain at the 
     pump.''
       My daughter and her family, who lives in Kansas City, 
     Missouri, cannot afford to drive to Idaho due to the 
     exorbitant prices of fuel. The gouging affects our basic 
     needs of being with our family, caring for the aging people 
     in our society because we have to cut back in every way 
     possible. Where we used to feel like supporting local 
     restaurants and other places, we do not anymore because we 
     simply cannot afford to take a drive, go see a part of Idaho 
     and support the residents in those locations. It is too 
     expensive to enjoy simple pleasures such as driving to the 
     mountains or to visit relatives.
       The food prices are hugely affected, also. We are forced to 
     cut back on what we buy at the grocery store. The food budget 
     just does not go as far anymore. And for those of us who are 
     trying to add a little each grocery visit to have a small 
     food supply on hand, that just is not happening as a result 
     of the gouging of fuel prices. It affects everything in our 
     current lifestyle. And for why?
       So those at the head of oil companies can continue to stuff 
     their already over-inflated earnings. It is a travesty! The 
     greed of [our leadership and the oil companies is] well-
     known. They should not be able to sleep at nights if they had 
     any conscience at all.
       Something must be done so that the rich governing bodies of 
     the oil companies in their greed are held at bay. I have 
     always respected free enterprise in America, but now, as a 
     result of greed, I ask, ``Why do they profit from crushing 
     our economy, jobs, and destroy lives of the American 
     citizens''. It is not right! We are told American does not 
     have any fuel reserves yet other reports say we have a 
     tremendous supply and oil companies are playing the game to 
     drive up prices. Is anyone in Congress willing to stand up to 
     the oil companies and special interests that control so many 
     issues that are in disarray??
       We aren't rich folks in Idaho. Most of us live a relatively 
     simple life style and families all over are negatively 
     affected because of the greed and dishonesty of our governing 
     officials. They are raking and destroying the citizens of 
     this great country and the economy for their own gain. They 
     will have accountability for their greed at some point, 
     whether in this life or the next. Feel free to pass along my 
     opinion.
       Ronda.
                                  ____

       We will have to pay it, but with a 95-year-old mother 450 
     miles away and a very ill sister about 425 miles away. It is 
     tough. We cannot fly to get to either so we have to drive. A 
     couple of hundred dollars to get to either place is tough 
     when you are retired on fixed income. Drilling is great but 
     too late to do any good now. The speculators are the problem 
     not so much the source or availability. We need new 
     refineries too!
     George, Boise.
                                  ____

       Thank you for representing our family's interests on the 
     Senate floor. We appreciate your diligent efforts that push 
     for commonsense efforts.
       Like most of our neighbors, our family has been impacted by 
     the rising costs of fuel and groceries. My husband is a 
     student at BSU, and I am a stay-at-home mom with our 
     beautiful one-year-old daughter. My husband works hard in 
     school and has a part time job, but it is getting harder to 
     budget for the skyrocketing prices we see.
       We are in support of energy conservation efforts. We ride 
     our bikes to the grocery store and fill up the bike trailer 
     with groceries. We walk, run or bike where we can. We support 
     technology that reduces the need of oil. There are many 
     things we can do to use less oil, however, we still need it. 
     We support exploring U.S. oil reserves. We support corn and 
     sugar ethanol exploration. We want the United States to 
     prepare so we will be strong enough to stay true to the 
     principles we were founded upon. We have plenty of 
     opportunities within the States to drill for oil. Why do the 
     environmentalist liberals care more for the caribou than for 
     humans? We can have both. Dependence on foreign oil does not 
     lessen pollution, it just means someone else will drill with 
     less environmentally friendly machinery. We have better 
     technology and can more efficiently drill.
       Please keep up your hard work. We offer our support and 
     gratitude for your service.
     Nate and Amy, Boise.
                                  ____

       Before all of the energy garbage, we had a pretty good 
     life. My newly married wife and I both had good jobs, 
     afforded everything we needed and did not have a lot of 
     worries. Now with the energy problems, people have cut back 
     on spending, so my wife may lose her job because of the lack 
     of work. She is looking for a second job just so we can 
     afford fuel to get to work. My job is getting more and more 
     unstable being in the construction market. Our company is a 
     small company, and the fuel is really making the work almost 
     not worth doing. It is costing $150 a week for each truck if 
     it stays pretty close to town.
       My wife and I are pretty young and have not built up a big 
     savings to draw from so we now have to watch every penny like 
     it is our last. We no longer can afford eating out, let alone 
     eating at home. We are not sure how much longer we can keep 
     up on our bills and such, especially if our jobs crash.
       It is pretty sad and I do not see any reason for it, 
     especially fuel. We did not just all of a sudden start using 
     more fuel. Then when the demand drops even a little they cut 
     back production and the cost shoots for the stars. I think it 
     is time the government steps in and does something.
       Idaho Power seems to be capitalizing on the fuel shortage. 
     Knowing people will be staying home more, so they have raised 
     their prices to get their extra dollars.
       I think now we have more of a war trying to survive in our 
     own country then we do across seas.
       Thanks for your time.
     Bryce.
                                  ____

       We are frantically searching for some other way to heat our 
     home. Our home was built in 1916 and there is no space for a 
     furnace. We have never heated our 4 upstairs bedrooms, even 
     the year we had 45 days in a row of below zero weather. We 
     have no heat in our bedroom on the main level or in our 
     bathroom. We heat by propane. We used to heat by coal but 
     could not find replacement parts for our Stokermatic coal 
     stove. We switched to propane. In January, it cost us $702 
     for a fill-up on our tank and, just last week, it cost us 
     $847 for a fill-up because the price is going up. We are 
     trying to find a way to get our old, old, wood-burning stove 
     repaired so we can heat our kitchen by wood but have to do 
     some serious thinking to find a way to get the heat into our 
     dining room and living room so we only turn on the propane 
     stove when we have to leave for a few days in the winter. We 
     are making enough to get by but no more. My husband is 67 
     years old and retired, but still reads meters for Rocky 
     Mountain Power three days a week so we can try and keep warm 
     in the winter. Something needs to be done. We do not qualify 
     for assistance because we make too much money. We had to buy 
     a new car and are still paying house payments. We barley make 
     ends meet. We do without a lot and we do spend our evenings, 
     in the spring fall and winter, covered up in blankets because 
     our house is cold. That is without heating the whole house, 
     just the kitchen and dining room and living room and what 
     little heat trickles into the bathroom.
     Grant and Diane, Liberty.
                                  ____

       As a native Idahoan I have always loved the rural, small-
     town lifestyle of living in the country, enjoying the beauty 
     of the quite, still landscape and the aroma of pure, clean 
     air. Yet the distance I have to travel in order to shop at 
     the store, visit friends or family, or go to the doctor 
     places me at a definite disadvantage to those who dwell in 
     larger cities and more populated states when one considers 
     the astronomical price of gasoline. Visiting family in 
     distant cities has now become a greater challenge as we spend 
     more and more of our family's single income to buy fuel for 
     our car. As I reflect on alternate forms of transportation in 
     my rural area, I find that I can either walk or ride a bike 
     several miles to accomplish my daily tasks. I would not 
     consider this a problem until I factor in my infant who 
     accompanies me everywhere and the extreme temperatures we 
     have in the Rocky Mountain States, which range below freezing 
     in the winter to near 100 degrees in the summer.
       Generally I do not believe in turning to the government to 
     solve problems, but since Congress has helped create our 
     current energy crisis and has put into place roadblocks that 
     require citizens to address her for help, I am writing to 
     urge the United States Senate to act. I believe that we can 
     drill for oil in our own country safely and without 
     endangering our environment while we explore other energy 
     options. Someone once raised

[[Page S2908]]

     the concern that logging endangered forests and the 
     environment but we have found that simply removing access to 
     certain areas has not solved the problem. Instead new 
     problems have risen in the form of diseased trees and ruined 
     forests. Similarly, removing access to areas that house oil 
     reserves does not solve the problem. It only creates a much 
     larger problem in the form of dependence on foreign oil. The 
     reality is that our country cannot remain dependent on other 
     countries. We need to drill domestically while exploring 
     other forms of energy production. Hybrid cars, while 
     presenting themselves as a wonderful alternative to gas only 
     cars, would also create problems of electrical shortages if 
     everyone drove them. Not to mention the fact that the vast 
     majority of citizens cannot afford such expensive cars. We 
     need to look at real solutions and not just more band aids 
     and temporary fixes.
       One Congressman stated that our country could conserve a 
     large amount of energy if every individual would telecommute 
     to work one day each week. While it is true that we could 
     conserve much energy, I question how they plan for 
     individuals who work in farming, retail, production, 
     construction, and transportation trades to telecommute. 
     Simply stated, not all individuals have jobs suited to 
     telecommuting.
       I hesitate to support the creation of an incentive program 
     to reward those who conserve energy because it most likely 
     would reward those who live in metropolitan areas who do not 
     have to travel very far to work or shop and would punish 
     those who live in spread out areas of the country where 
     alternate forms of transportation (subway, light rail, buses, 
     etc) do not exist. Of course, our Idaho farmers could cut 
     back on crop growth in order to return to the use of horse 
     and plow in order to receive conservation incentives, but 
     then what would the urbanites eat?
     Kimberlee, Burley.
                                  ____

       ANWR must be opened to drilling. This $4+ gasoline is going 
     to stop our already fragile economy in its tracks. It is bad 
     enough now with gas prices this high, but add to that this 
     winter the cost of natural gas doubling, and most families 
     are going to have to decide--heat or eat.
       We have enough energy in the ground in the United States to 
     become nearly energy independent. Let us use it and in the 
     mean time continue to develop alternative fuels and allow 
     proven technologies such as nuclear to be built.
       A majority of Americans support using our own supplies. 
     Congress needs to get out of the way and open things up and 
     make it easy for us to develop these resources. Stop being a 
     hinderance.
     Mark, Boise.

                          ____________________