[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 62 (Monday, April 27, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4749-S4751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH ENERGY PRICES

  Mr. CRAPO. Madam 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:

       Thank you for letting me email my thoughts and feelings 
     regarding today's gas prices. This may not be what you 
     expected but I am writing this email from the heart.
       I am angry with our government with respect to rising gas 
     prices. I find it so hard to believe why they want to put our 
     country in to this situation. Everybody and every business 
     suffers. Going places and doing things as a family has been 
     taken from us since the first hit is putting gas in the 
     vehicle. The hotels, restaurants, grocery stores have been 
     forced to increase their prices. Small businesses cannot 
     survive. We own our own business (recycling center) and the 
     fuel costs to run our fleet is astronomical. This is 
     outrageous and needs to stop immediately. It is only going to 
     cause increased homeless people and poverty. Do something now 
     before it gets any worse. Please stop this insanity and get 
     our country back whole again. Remove speculation and reduce 
     gas prices immediately. Thank you for letting me speak out.
     Anita, Lewiston.
                                  ____

       Not so much a story as a plea . . . I wish I could grab 
     every Congressman by the shoulders, look them in the eye, and 
     say: ``Either you, or your replacement, will allow us to get 
     the energy we need!''
       Right now we are heading toward environmental communism. 
     Yet it is a fact that CO2 levels follow higher temperatures, 
     not the other way around! That is, the Earth warms and cools 
     on it is own, and will continue to do so, whether we use 
     fuels or not.
     Cliff, Pocatello.
                                  ____

       I am disgusted with [partisan behavior] and the do-nothing 
     attitude [of so many elected officials] towards our impending 
     energy disaster. I realize that there are pockets of 
     trustworthy individuals who still listen to their 
     constituents rather than special interest groups. There are 
     those that would like nothing better than to put this nation 
     into such a drastic depression that communism would look like 
     heaven. I am in the agricultural business and energy prices 
     have drastically increased my costs on every single input. It 
     has affected the costs of diesel, gas, pvc, plastics, metal 
     (shipping and production of), labor (have to pay more to get 
     them out to work), fertilizers, chemicals, tires and other 
     rubber compounds. I have seen diesel for my tractors go from 
     $1.50 per gallon to over $4 per gallon in less than three 
     years. The rest of our fleet is now having to burn $4.70 per 
     gallon diesel and because of the EPA and [increased 
     regulation], these large trucks get half the fuel economy 
     that they did in the late 1970s. Please help us before this 
     nation comes to a grinding halt and our enemies seize the 
     opportunity to attack.
     Unsigned.
                                  ____

       I am angry at oil companies for stealing from consumers and 
     angry at Congress for [not addressing the problem].
       Alternatives which should rapidly be developed are:
       1. Hydro electric: clean, cheap renewable.
       2. Off shore and ANWR drilling: more competition means less 
     monopoly.
       3. Nuclear: free up our private enterprise from stifling 
     regulations and we would have an abundance of inexpensive 
     power.
       4. Biomass (slash and trash incinerators) for producing 
     electricity or hydrogen.
       5. Stop burning our forests down and allow Americans to 
     harvest trees and build houses.
     P.C.
                                  ____

       The Governor of Alaska wants drilling to begin in Alaska. 
     Why does Congress insist on

[[Page S4750]]

     not allowing this? We have a vast area untapped that could 
     produce millions of barrels of oil for Americans.
       In the 70s, I remember having to wait in long lines to fill 
     up my car. I remember Congress grandstanding that something 
     needs to be done to secure America's future. Thirty years 
     later, I am hearing the same rhetoric. What does it take to 
     get Congress to take action and utilize the resources we have 
     in this country?
       Drill in Alaska, the oceans off shore, the Midwest. The 
     average American does not care if an oil rig interferes with 
     the ocean view of a multimillion-dollar mansion. We are fed 
     up with the rich getting everything on the backs of the hard-
     working American.
     Linda.
                                  ____

       I am writing to you in response to your request for 
     testimonials about the prices for energy. My dad is a middle 
     class lowboy driver in St. Maries. The prices of energy have 
     an effect on not only my dad, but for his boss. It is 
     depressing to see men and women in my community laid off, who 
     cannot afford oil to heat their homes in the winter, watch 
     their homes and possessions get foreclosed upon, and have to 
     figure out where their source of income will be coming from. 
     My father is very lucky to be spared this misfortune. Jobs in 
     our community are hard to come by, because loggers cannot 
     afford to pay outrageous diesel prices. Even one of the 
     richest men in Idaho is suffering from sky high diesel bills. 
     Additionally, I recently moved to Moscow to start my life at 
     the University of Idaho. I have been in Moscow for almost a 
     month, and have been rejected by numerous jobs. Many adults 
     are taking jobs that teenagers and college students like 
     myself usually take.
       I do not point the blame on the oil companies; however, but 
     I do find it hard to believe that the federal government 
     makes more profit than the oil companies do off each barrel 
     of oil. How is this?? How can the government have all this 
     profit, and not make any good use of it (by means of building 
     a new refinery, which hasn't been done in 30 years; or 
     drilling in Alaska/ANWR; or increasing drilling in the Gulf 
     of Mexico). The American voters are tired of oil dependency 
     from terrorists! Please knock some sense into the liberals 
     who insist upon this practice of dealing with the Middle 
     East! We need to figure out a way that we can be dependent on 
     ourselves. The only way to fix the prices on energy is to be 
     our own supplier. Otherwise, our country will fail. We, the 
     middle class, are the economy. In our area, we supply 
     products that build our economy's businesses, homes, paper 
     products, and [other important products]. We need lower fuel 
     prices to maintain our livelihoods and jobs. I hope this 
     somewhat helps you convince the liberals that they are not 
     looking out for the ``underdogs''. If these prices keep 
     increasing, my dad, and many of friends' parents, will be out 
     of jobs, and scrambling to do something. Thank you for your 
     time.
     Jackie, Moscow.
                                  ____

       I am a 52-year-old woman and I have been a single parent 
     all my life. I am now disabled. I can honestly say that if I 
     were a single parent with small children in today's times, I 
     would not be able to manage putting gas in my car to take my 
     children to school and then go to work. It is hard enough 
     just buying food with today's prices. As it is, I am disabled 
     and I live on $1,000. This means that I am only able to put 
     gas in to my car once a month. With the old clunker that I 
     have, it cost me $75 or more to fill it up. Then that has to 
     last me all month, which means I do not travel much.
       Also, in today's world, much of the housing is equipped 
     with only gas heating. For a single parent that makes too 
     much money for food stamps and heating assistance, the cost 
     of heating apartment or house is very costly. I have to try 
     and cut corners in everything I do when it comes to the cost 
     of gas.
       I am not sure how to change the cost of things but, I think 
     I would certainly try obtaining petroleum in the good ole 
     USA. I think we would have enough resources to handle the USA 
     if one was to try hard enough. Thank you for your time and 
     attention to America's concerns.
     Eunice.
                                  ____

       This letter is in response to your request for personal 
     stories chronicling the impact of $4 per gallon gas on the 
     lives of ordinary Idahoans. I am an ordinary Idahoan, and I 
     am happy to report that $4 per gallon gas has had essentially 
     no impact on my lifestyle. Like the majority of Idahoans, I 
     live in a city. I ride my bike or walk to work, and use my 
     car only for out of town trips. I also own a vehicle that 
     gets about 30 miles per gallon (mpg). The marketing efforts 
     of Ford and GM hawking huge inefficient vehicles failed me; I 
     drive a Subaru.
       I find it disingenuous that you are requesting letters to 
     support unsustainable lifestyles and provide welfare for poor 
     vehicle choice decisions. With that in mind, I am providing a 
     perspective on the merits of high fuel prices.
       The impacts of more expensive fuel include: (1) fewer miles 
     traveled by car; (2) less fuel consumption; (3) less 
     greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere; and (4) 
     record usage of public transportation. These are laudable 
     accomplishments only possible in our market-based society via 
     pricing influences. In addition, if more of us walked or 
     bicycled to work, perhaps we would reduce health care costs 
     associated with the obesity epidemic.
       Here are some suggestions for what you can do to lessen the 
     impact of more expensive fuel:
       1. Increase mileage standards on US made cars and foreign 
     cars imported to the US. You should have voted to increase 
     CAFE standards in past years. If Americans drove 35 mpg 
     vehicles instead of big SUVs, we would have consumed, and 
     would be consuming, much less oil. I wonder what fuel prices 
     would be today if US consumption at the pump were half of the 
     current rate, achieved through more efficient vehicles? 
     20 billion barrels of oil would be saved if we all drove 
     cars that got 40 mpg. It would have been great if US car 
     manufacturers had competed to make cars with the best 
     mileage instead of the biggest trucks and SUVs.
       2. Change mileage stickers on cars from miles per gallon to 
     gallons per 10,000 miles. Although they are numerically the 
     same, the psychology of 800 gallons per 10,000 miles (roughly 
     $3,200 per year) compared to 200 gallons per 10,000 miles 
     (roughly $800 per year) is not equivalent to 12.5 versus 50 
     mpg. This is how appliances are sold.
       3. We do not need a bailout from the federal government on 
     fuel prices. We need better jobs so these prices do not 
     completely cripple Idaho's economy. The government can assist 
     ordinary Idahoans by supporting or funding public 
     transportation, including light rail in the Treasure Valley. 
     The government can also assist us by better-funding education 
     so Idahoans can work in higher paying jobs.
       4. Idaho is unique in our nuclear energy past. I 
     wholeheartedly support the development and usage of new-
     generation nuclear energy technology. Idaho, and the Idaho 
     National Laboratories, can take a lead in this area.
       5. Do not forget conservation. Drive less. Drive slower. 
     Idaho could lower speed limits and save the equivalent of 50-
     80 cents per gallon.
       Thank you for considering the points in my letter. I am 
     hopeful that you will share it with your Committee Chair.
     Chris, Boise.
                                  ____

       As the cost of energy continues to go up our lifestyle 
     continues to go down. No money to spend on any home 
     maintenance, automobile maintenance, or replace anything that 
     wears out or breaks. It is like I am living in a third world 
     country right here in the United States of America. I can 
     only imagine what it must be like for people who make less 
     than I do. Corporations make billions every 3 months and 
     there is nothing wrong? Please fix this before it cost us our 
     entire country.
     Blake.
                                  ____

       I disagree with you on the raising of taxes. The oil 
     companies and the rich should have to pay taxes to help 
     support our country along with all the other U.S. citizens. 
     All you accomplished by cutting taxes is causing local taxes 
     to go up to compensate for the federal tax cuts. Because of 
     the tax cuts to our state, we had to vote in more property 
     taxes to cover the cuts. We are now paying much more taxes to 
     keep Idaho functioning and our federal taxes did not go down. 
     As a matter of fact, they went up since we can no longer take 
     our Medicare premiums off of our federal taxes.
     Lois.
                                  ____

       I just want to share my story with you. We recently had a 
     wedding in our family that required us to travel to Arizona 
     for the wedding. The majority of our family was unable to go 
     because of the high cost of gas. The eight of us that did go 
     carpooled in a suburban so that it was affordable for us to 
     even go and support our family member who was getting 
     married. The high cost of energy is preventing families from 
     being able to get together for reunions and other family 
     gatherings. This is pretty sad.
       Let us not forget that it is not only at the gas pumps we 
     are getting gouged, but at the grocery store and anywhere 
     else we shop. The store owners are passing the higher 
     shipping charges on to the consumer as well. So the cost of 
     energy is impacting us in multiple areas of our budget.
       We are in desperate need of alternative energy sources to 
     help control the cost of energy. If the oil companies had to 
     compete for our business their prices would not be so high.
       Thanks for your efforts
     Brent, Twin Falls.
                                  ____

       We are a family of six, and we have two vehicles. My 
     husband has a car for commuting to work, and I have a minivan 
     to transport our family around. Gas prices have gone so high 
     now that it cost us more money to fill up both our vehicles, 
     than it does to feed our family for two weeks. It is an 
     expense that is hard to cut costs on. We need to be able to 
     get around. But the prices are not just afecting us at the 
     tank. It costs a farmer over $400 a day to drive his tractor 
     now, and there is the gas for the semi-truck driver too. So 
     gas is driving our food prices up. It is hard on the American 
     family.
       What I suggest we do is use America's intellectual gifts 
     and come up with a new alternative fuel source, preferably a 
     renewable one that will not damage the environment. Then we 
     need cars that can run off it. We could help the global 
     warming problem and our fuel problem. While that is being 
     done, maybe we can use some of our own gas instead of the 
     Middle East's gas. We are working so hard to fight Iraq with 
     our strength.

[[Page S4751]]

     But they are fighting us with economics, and we are letting 
     them win.
     Tamara.
                                  ____

       I think the worse part of high energy costs is the 
     restrictions our married children that live a few hours from 
     home feel about traveling. They are on limited budgets and 
     cannot budget in very many travels on the high fuel expenses. 
     Anything that keep grandparents from seeing their 
     grandchildren as often should be a federal offense! I am sure 
     you would agree!
     Renee.
                                  ____

       With all due respect, I think you are off track. Yes, 
     prices are rising. No, that does not mean you should vote 
     against climate change legislation.
       Please, focus your energy on diversifying our energy 
     sources in the sense of solar and wind power. Do not go for 
     the short-term scheme of drilling for more domestic oil. That 
     would be a short-term fix. We need to think generations down 
     the road, and realize that our current consumption is simply 
     not sustainable.
       Yes, I have been impacted by high prices. So have my 
     coworkers and neighbors. But the subsequent changes I see in 
     our lifestyles are wonderful: we drive less, choosing to 
     bike, walk and take the public bus to work or run errands or 
     to recreate. Need less . . . what a solution!
     Margaret, McCall.
                                  ____

       We are farmers from Idaho Falls. The energy prices are 
     hugely affecting our bottom line. In the past year alone, due 
     to the cost of fuel, fertilizer has gone up four times. Many 
     people do not understand that farmers are not just affected 
     by the cost of putting fuel in their tractors. The rising 
     price of fuel affects every aspect of our business. It is 
     unfortunate that in the news farmers are being portrayed as 
     just raking in the dollars right now while the consumers 
     struggle to buy food at the grocery stores. This just is not 
     the case.
       We have no way of staying in business if the cost of the 
     commodities we sell does not go up to compensate for the huge 
     increase in our costs. It is time the American consumers 
     stand up to uninformed environmentalists. Environmentalists 
     are setting energy policy that is going to devastate our 
     entire economy. As farmers, we are the best environmentalists 
     that exist. We care that future generations will have a clean 
     safe place to live and exist. We also believe that the way 
     out of our current problems, without crippling the entire 
     economy, are solved with a multi-dimensional approach. Yes, 
     fuel economy for cars should be increased on a time line that 
     is feasible. We also know that we have to open up new oil 
     drilling and refinery capacity to help stabilize our economy. 
     We also feel that we need to have better means of producing 
     power. Nuclear energy is safe, clean, and reliable. We need 
     to be the leaders in the world of good energy policy and 
     planning.
       If we shut down all industry in the United States, we will 
     become slaves to a foreign nation. Do people really believe 
     that food produced in other countries is as safe and reliable 
     as food that is produced domestically? If we do not start now 
     to develop a better approach to our current energy problems, 
     we all be at the mercy of China and oil-producing nations.
     Mark and Stephanie, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       The President's plan to stimulate the economy was a like a 
     drop in the bucket compared to the rise in gas prices at the 
     pump. The gas prices have doubled from last summer. If you 
     received a 1%, 3% or higher cost of living increase, you are 
     still short. The increased minimum wage was wasted effort. 
     The increase in gas prices will force an increase across the 
     board, just because this country, especially in states like 
     Idaho, is very dependent on vehicles from semi-trucks to 
     bring food from one state to another to a way to get to work, 
     etc.
       I think time, effort and money should be spent on 
     developing alternate energy sources. Oil is a non renewable 
     resource as is nuclear energy. More effort should be placed 
     on energy sources that renew themselves, such as wind power 
     and power derived from the ocean. Right now would be a great 
     time for the development of a combustion engine that is clean 
     and fuel efficient. I believe that there are those inventions 
     already available, just not used.
     Sharon.
                                  ____

       I, like others, who are so tired of rising fuel costs, 
     would like to see something done about it. Please put 
     something in motion and help get these rising prices lowered. 
     I am not sure what is driving the prices higher. But it is 
     the people that suffer. You just cannot afford to do anything 
     or go anywhere anymore. And that causes depression in a lot 
     of people. My gasoline bill last month was over $500 and that 
     is outrageous. I drive to the INL site every day and that 
     adds up very quickly.
       Please help do something about this.
     Donna, Rigby.

                          ____________________