[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 52 (Thursday, March 26, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3892-S3894]
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:

       First of all thank you for all your efforts to help the 
     people of Idaho and the USA.
       We have a disabled daughter that lives on a very small 
     income. We subsidize her income monthly and daily. It is all 
     she can do to make ends meet. We are retired and on fixed 
     income. Even before these terrible gas price increases and 
     using ``level pay'' for heating and cooling all year round, 
     trips to the many doctors and Elks Rehab, it is all but 
     impossible for her to maintain a lifestyle where she can pay 
     all her bills and eat.
       How very sad our country has come to this. We seem to be 
     able to help everyone else in the world but not our own 
     citizens.
       Everyone in the news keeps saying it will not do any good 
     for years if we start drilling and building refineries. Well, 
     we have to start somewhere and sometime. Foreign countries 
     are virtually taking our oil resources and we are standing by 
     and letting it happen. What is so hard to understand about 
     our dilemma? It affects our source of food and many other 
     vital areas that are urgent to our very survival. Let us 
     bring back our capability to support ourselves by 
     reactivating our nuclear capabilities. We have the technology 
     and even some facilities that were up and running. Why did 
     not we stick with a good thing when we were using it?
       As far as drilling and the environmentalists are concerned, 
     since when do the minority control the majority? Granted, we 
     need to protect the environment but we all know it can be 
     done along with doing what we need to do to survive. What 
     good is it to be so radical and prevent every effort to 
     improve our stability if no one is around to enjoy it? Think 
     about it.
     Shirley, Boise.
                                  ____

       I appreciated your letter and am happy to be able to share 
     how difficult it has become for me, as a single mother who 
     works in Boise, but lives in Middleton. Every day, my salary 
     is reduced because of the additional costs of commuting to 
     work. Additionally, my home and water are heated by propane, 
     so making it thru this past winter was especially difficult. 
     I had to call on my church leaders for assistance 3-4 times 
     to pay the propane bills. The $600 stimulus check issued by 
     the government was not even enough to cover the cost for one 
     bill. I had to come up with the additional $180 shortage on 
     my own. Needless to say, the stimulus check did not 
     ``stimulate'' much of anything.
       We are in a national crisis, and something must be done 
     now. My husband walked away from our family approximately 
     three years ago, leaving me with four children and two 
     mortgages to pay on less than $25,000 per year income. I 
     cannot afford to file for divorce because my funds are so 
     limited--so I am just stuck. I do not want to lose my home, 
     but that is becoming more of a potential outcome each day. It 
     breaks my heart to see the things I have worked my whole life 
     for slowly dwindle away. So much for the ``American Dream''.
       I feel powerless and frustrated much of the time as I have 
     to choose whether to buy fuel to be able to go to work, or 
     buy food for my family. It is just a vicious circle. Please 
     tell our elected officials that we need their help now!
     Grace, Middleton.
                                  ____

       Thank you for your letter. Yes, we are scared at the 
     direction our economy has taken, which all appears to be 
     caused by the horrendous rise in gasoline prices--and who do 
     we blame for this--Congress, of course! How can you sit by 
     and let the oil companies rake in billions of dollars in 
     profits through pure greed. I have never liked overregulation 
     of business, but I think now they need some regulating, as do 
     all those who are profiting by this miserable situation.
       We are on a fixed income: Social Security, small pension 
     (that never changes) and a 401K saved while working--which by 
     the way is shrinking due to the stock market problems. The 
     only thing that can be done about our income would be a 
     decent cost-of-living rise in the Social Security next 
     January.

[[Page S3893]]

       Now, the story of how life has changed since the rise in 
     gasoline--and all other--costs. We no longer: subscribe to a 
     newspaper, buy any non-essential food, feed our pets as much 
     as they used to get, buy clothing, eat out, go to movies, 
     have a TV movie package, take any non-essential trips, and 
     soon will cancel our Medicare supplemental health policy. We 
     have enjoyed having a few horses, but hay prices are double 
     over last year--to $185/ton. Many people are ``dumping'' 
     their horses because they can no longer afford to feed them. 
     Our nephew is a long-haul owner-driver. A recent 2-week trip 
     cost him over $10,000 in fuel & expenses, and he netted only 
     $400 for himself--for 2 weeks of work!
       We have lived a frugal life and thought we had saved enough 
     money to last it out, but now we are afraid this may not be 
     the case. We are not starving, yet, or homeless, but that for 
     the first time in our life, these things now appear 
     possible--if things continue as they are. Every time we go to 
     the pump or the grocery story, or buy anything at all; the 
     prices have been increased.
       Yes--please work for the things you state in your letter--
     increased domestic exploration, production and refining of 
     petroleum; promotion and development of alternative energy 
     sources, lower our dependence on foreign energy sources--and 
     most important--do it now. The only thing that can save us 
     from financial ruin is to get the prices down!
     Clark and Nola, Kimberly.
                                  ____

       I am a single woman, working two jobs. The home I rent is 
     heated by a furnace that burns heating oil. Last winter, I 
     could not afford to buy enough heating oil to keep my house 
     warm all winter. Even by keeping the thermostat at 55 
     degrees, (enough to keep the pipes from freezing, but not 
     enough to really be warm), there were still two months during 
     the winter that I could not run my furnace because I could 
     not afford the oil. I set up two space heaters in either my 
     bedroom or the living room, and that one room was where I 
     spent all my time when I was at home. I got used to wearing 
     my jacket and two pairs of socks in the house all the time. I 
     hated showering because the bathroom was so cold. I would 
     move a heater into the bathroom 15 or 20 minutes before to 
     heat the room up a little bit. In this way, I saved myself 
     money on heating oil, but then my electric bill nearly 
     doubled. That was last year when oil was less than $3 per 
     gallon. I still have not figured out a way to get heating oil 
     for this year. I just have to trust that God will provide, 
     and give me the strength to cope with whatever situation I am 
     faced with.
       I wish the government would open the way for more of our 
     natural resources to be utilized. Living in this beautiful 
     state, I love the environment, the animals, the beauty, but 
     are not the needs of human beings more important than leaving 
     billions of acres untouched and untouchable? We cannot even 
     get out to see these spaces anymore because we cannot afford 
     the gas for our vehicles!
     Jenny, Blackfoot.
                                  ____

       I do not have any great stories about how the gas prices 
     have affected my family, but I can tell you that I sold our 4 
     Runner last year to save on gas and just put a trailer hitch 
     on my minivan so I can pull our utility trailer to mow lawns 
     at some apartments. I always think I look a little funny 
     driving down Broadway in a minivan pulling a trailer.
       I would encourage you to propose legislation and/or vote 
     for legislation that opens up all public lands for drilling 
     for oil. This should include ANWR and all offshore drilling. 
     I oppose states dictating whether or not drilling will take 
     place on federal lands or offshore. States only should have 
     the right to restrict drilling on state owned lands. Any 
     federally owned lands should be under the sole jurisdiction 
     of the federal government. Furthermore, neither the state nor 
     the federal government should restrict drilling on any 
     private lands.
       We also need more refinery capacity. Whether this is in the 
     form of new refineries or expanding existing refineries, 
     congress needs to pass legislation to ease environmental 
     restrictions.
       Do not let them bully you around when others say that it 
     will take ten years to get any oil out of new wells. Any 
     amount will help and even the realistic forecast of more oil 
     will scare OPEC into lowering prices. We need it now! I work 
     in the automotive industry and in all my conversations at 
     home and throughout the country on sales calls, I have not 
     once found a person who thinks we should drill less and have 
     less refineries.
       We also need more nuclear, wind, tidal, hydroelectric, and 
     clean coal power plants. I do not believe government should 
     subsidize any of these, but I believe you should loosen the 
     restrictions for private enterprise to develop such. Rising 
     electricity costs are every bit as detrimental to the well 
     being of our economy as the rising petroleum costs.
     Clay, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       You asked Idahoans to email you how the current high 
     gasoline prices are affecting them. I do not think listening 
     to the complaints of Idahoans about gas prices contributes to 
     a solution. As I understand it, devaluing of the dollar 
     versus other currencies, among other things, helped the 
     economies of developing countries to where they can afford 
     more energy intensive products such as food and 
     transportation. Increased demand increases prices if supply 
     remains constant. Look at China, for example. Their economy 
     seems to be exploding, increasing their demand for food and 
     energy and consequently driving up costs for others.
       Some of the sillier ``solutions'' proposed by presidential 
     candidates has been to suspend federal gasoline taxes, and 
     raise taxes on oil companies. Environmentalists have long 
     contributed to this developing energy shortage by frightening 
     the public and politicians away from atomic energy. Instead 
     of letting NASA play with $B probes to Mars, why were they 
     not tasked with solving negatives of atomic plants such as 
     depleted fuel rod disposal?
       I am pointing fingers here at past errors because it helps 
     to illustrate how we have gone wrong in the past, and which 
     directions our present thinking should take. But first, let 
     us understand who is supposed to be running this country, and 
     who has the clout to dictate what this country is to do? Our 
     U.S. Congress! But when its present preoccupation (increasing 
     subsidies to already wealthy farmers) is compared with the 
     impact of high fuel prices on our citizens, one ceases to 
     expect any help from our politicians.
       Fight against foolish short term fixes for high fuel 
     prices. Call for somebody to assemble experts in relevant 
     fields to get the facts behind the energy prices, publish 
     them to reassure the public something is being done, then 
     work to reduce the problem. Keep it non-political and do it 
     fast.
     J. K.
                                  ____

       Thank you for the opportunity to respond to you regarding 
     our nation's energy situation. We are indeed in a lamentable 
     situation. I believe that our current state of affairs should 
     be no big surprise to anyone. Have we not seen this coming 
     for a number of years? Why has nothing been done sooner to 
     allow development of more efficient vehicle engines and 
     renewable domestic energy sources? While we cannot change 
     what should have been done years ago, you and your colleagues 
     in Congress now have the opportunity to not wait another day 
     to take action. All of us must take responsibility for the 
     predicament we are in and do something about it. Every 
     American has the responsibility to conserve energy and use 
     our resources wisely, without being wasteful. All of us have 
     a responsibility to make decisions that will assure future 
     generations a clean, healthy environment. Congress can take 
     aggressive action to encourage production of energy efficient 
     vehicles, homes, and businesses. I believe there is much 
     technology available to reduce energy consumption. The 
     biggest challenge is to be able to put that knowledge into 
     mass production. Congress can create tax-breaks or other 
     incentives for the implementation of energy-saving technology 
     both in the business and private sectors. We, as individuals, 
     can make some difference in energy consumption, but in order 
     to make a significant difference, there must be strong 
     incentives for businesses to change the way they are doing 
     things! Those changes will only take place if the result is 
     increased bottom-line profits for them. Otherwise, they will 
     just keep passing along their increased energy costs to their 
     customers, further bankrupting our already strained economy. 
     We are seeing stress fractures everywhere in our economy, but 
     we must remember that the time of greatest challenge may also 
     offer the most opportunity to accomplish something truly 
     great. We are looking to you to lead us through these 
     challenging times; please do not let us down!
     Jeanne Marie, Grace.
                                  ____

       Mr. Crapo, My husband and I are retired and both on 
     Medicare. We live in McCammon, so we have to drive at least 
     40 miles to get to our doctor, dentist, grocery store, etc, 
     We try to make as few trips as possible and car pool with 
     neighbors many times. We can limit our trips but we are 
     having problems with propane since it is our main source of 
     heat. We are now paying more than $300 a month for our 
     propane and it looks as if we will be paying more this 
     winter. We need to use our own resources and stop our 
     dependence on foreign oil. I think that we, as Americans, 
     take good care of our country and have consideration for the 
     earth and its resources. We are tired of being led by 
     conservationists that think they know what is best for all. 
     Many of my neighbors and family are worried and angry because 
     no one seems to be doing anything about the situation. We 
     need you to do something. Thank you.
     Nancy, McCammon.
                                  ____

       I am horrified by the prospect of selling my Hummer. I am 
     also considering driving at 55 mph--is not that awful?
       It is disgusting that Americans now have to pay almost as 
     much for gasoline for our gas-guzzlers as we do as for 
     bottled water.
       Better drill every possible source of oil in the US--that 
     should allow us to continue to use up resources at the 
     highest rates in human history . . . for another year or 
     maybe two.
     Debra Patla.
                                  ____

       Of course this has affected my wife and myself. We just 
     very recently retired, hoping to do some traveling. We have 
     already canceled a trip that we had so looked forward to 
     simply because of the cost of fuel. We will have to stay very 
     close to home now. Most of our disposable 'fun' income now 
     goes for gasoline.
       You know that this happened on your watch. You and your 
     colleagues representing

[[Page S3894]]

     Idaho have been in Washington for a long time. [The public 
     deserves to see more action and less talk on your part.]
     Leonard, Wilder.
                                  ____

       It is ridiculous that they have let the gas prices get up 
     as far as they have. If we did not have petroleum in the US 
     to make gas it would be different, but we have ways to have 
     gas brought in and it would not take that long. They need to 
     reevaluate this.
     Deanna.
                                  ____

       We are small farmers and small business owners. We live 25 
     miles from town which makes it a 50 mile round trip for 
     everything we do. These rising fuel prices has greatly 
     affected us and has made it hard. We have tried to conserve 
     by buying fuel economy cars, but because of the rising costs 
     we are paying substantially more for fuel than we were a year 
     ago or even six months ago. We believe that what should be 
     done is to use more of our domestic oil, cut environmental 
     red tape on refineries and other things and give incentives 
     for people to conserve. I do not think that by adding taxes 
     to the oil companies is going to solve anything. It will just 
     be passed on to the consumer, which is something we do not 
     need.
     Randy.
                                  ____

       It is my opinion that we need to become independent from 
     Middle Eastern Oil. We need to reduce use, but also we need 
     to build more energy plants, of all kinds, in our own 
     country, including Nuclear, and responsibly drill our own 
     oil. If we are not dependent on foreign oil we are not held 
     hostage; We are not depleting our wealth while contributing 
     to theirs.
       Thank you for asking for my opinion. I hope you listen to 
     everybody and I hope that you and your colleagues quit 
     playing politics and get it done. I am very tired of the 
     political drama. I have come to distrust all of you.
     Janine.
                                  ____

       I would suggest that the government tell the people who 
     want more drilling that the oil companies should drill the 
     millions of acres they already hold hostage under contract 
     before we give them the rest. As an alternative let 
     wildcatters have the new options rather than more big oil 
     hostage land.
     Kurt.
                                  ____

       I am single. I raised two boys on my own, assuming the role 
     of Mr. Mom for a number of years. Currently I work in 
     industrial sales. I am compensated through straight 
     commission. Year to date, my sales are off 30%. As 
     commissions have shrunk, costs have not. My employer has 
     informed me in September the cost for the company vehicle I 
     use will increase an additional hundred dollars a month. One 
     of my sons is out of work and had nowhere left to turn and is 
     home for the moment working odd jobs. He is a new commercial 
     pilot.
       I am speaking in literal terms, not figuratively. I do not 
     know how I am going to pay the bills, put food on the table, 
     and gas in my personal vehicle. I will buy a half a tank of 
     gas for my vehicle payday (cannot use company rig), buy a lot 
     of hamburger, and I will draw on my credit line to cover the 
     bills the paycheck cannot.
       Somehow I will make it. Not sure how, but I will. This 
     would be easier to accept what we are experiencing had it 
     been unavoidable. The fact of the matter is our current 
     situation was completely avoidable. Congress has failed at 
     every turn to demonstrate the kind of leadership needed. Both 
     parties are to blame. There is absolutely no excuse what so 
     ever for us importing any oil period!
       We need to drill now and drill wherever possible while 
     developing other alternative energy systems.
     Roger, New Plymouth.
                                  ____

       Thank you for the opportunity to share the affect rising 
     energy prices have on me and my family. I am a single mother 
     who drives a horrendous commute every day to get my son to 
     daycare and then work. It just does not seem right that my 
     gas bill keeps skyrocketing up every day while my paycheck 
     stays the same. What choice do I have but to pay the price? 
     It's getting too expensive to go to work! Is there anything 
     that can be done?
     Leah.

                          ____________________