[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15207-15209]
[From the U.S. 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 over 1,000, are 
heartbreaking and touching. To respect their efforts, I am submitting 
every e-mail sent to me through energy_prices@crapo .senate.gov 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 the following letters printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Thanks for this opportunity. In short:
       (1) Increase domestic oil production.
       (2) Expand nuclear energy.
       (3) Reduce the speed limit to 65 mi./hr. This alone saves 
     me 15% on my car fuel consumption and is an immediate 
     reduction in oil usage.
       (4) Do not use our food supply to produce alcohol for 
     additive to the gasoline. It reduces the gas mileage, is 
     harmful to some of the engine parts and has a large effect on 
     the supply and cost of our food. The site did research on 
     this about 20 years ago, and built a plant around Aberdeen, 
     which to my understanding, was not successful. At least it 
     did not stay in operation very long.
       I have other ideas on energy policies and savings if you 
     would like to discuss them.
     Ferrol, Idaho Falls.
                                  ____

       Senator Crapo, Thank you for the opportunity to share our 
     concerns over the dependence of foreign oil issues that we 
     currently face.
       My business partner and I own a small construction company 
     in Meridian. We do new residential construction as well as 
     re-modeling in Meridian, Boise, Nampa, Mountain Home, 
     Horseshoe Bend, Star and other Ada, Canyon, Boise and Elmore 
     county towns. As you mentioned in your letter there is great 
     distance between towns here in the great state of Idaho. Our 
     traveling cost, as well as incurring the fee increases by our 
     sub-contractors and suppliers is moving so high--so fast that 
     a bid to perform work which is normally good for 30 days 
     actually is out of date the next week!
       We are normally not very political guys, but we have 
     actually been affected to the point that we have started a 
     website along with a petition to Congress to authorize 
     drilling here in America www.DrillforAmericanoil.com went 
     online officially last week (June 13, 2008).
       We truly appreciate your efforts on our behalf regarding 
     this matter and hope that we can work together as a community 
     and nation to resolve this crisis.
           Respectfully,
     Ed and Ed, Meridian.
                                  ____

       We, our families, have been unable to get together to enjoy 
     ourselves because of the high prices of fuel. I do not 
     understand why we have to pay the same price for fuel as all 
     other countries when we have all of the necessary reserves 
     and fuel available here in this country. Everyone keeps 
     telling us that we have save for future generations, I say 
     baloney to that as let us take care of ourselves first and 
     then if anything is left over, give to the future.
       Nuclear energy is safe now that we better understand how to 
     use it. Wind power is fine except when the wind is not 
     blowing or solar power when the sun shines. With solar, it 
     won't produce much on a sunny day and nothing for wind power, 
     so we have to buy a lot of very expensive batteries and some 
     means to keep them charged when we do not have the wind or 
     sun. What then?
     Vern.
                                  ____

       To Whom It May Concern: The cost of fuel today is really 
     beginning to hurt the Idaho consumer. On the national level, 
     most of us here in Idaho are on the poverty level or at least 
     very close to it, and those of us who are retired it is just 
     double hurt.
       Most of the people who live in my small community are 
     retired and/or very elderly, and this fuel rip-off is very 
     damaging to us. The elderly are forced to keep their 
     temperatures so low in the winter, and still cannot afford 
     $4+ for our heating oil, so we sit around with blankets in 
     winter.
       The fuel costs are very hard to handle up here in Nezperce, 
     primarily because we are forced to drive long distances to do 
     our shopping. Another problem is fuel costs are even higher 
     in these small communities than it is in larger towns, so we 
     get a double hit with the cost of fuel.
       For eight years, conservatives had control of Congress and 
     Senate and they did nothing for the conservative voters. 
     There are many voters that tell me they think they will stay 
     home this November because, quite frankly, they feel it does 
     no good to vote for people who will not help us. We have let 
     a few loud far-left people control the future for all of us, 
     not letting us do in new exploration, or any new fuel ideas 
     etc. The effect of fuel prices is passing off to everything 
     we buy, and everything we do.
       I could go on forever but to no gain; so, to whom it may 
     concern, if we do not do something soon, all we will do is 
     make all our enemies rich, and bring this nation to its 
     knees.
                                                   John, Nezperce.

[[Page 15208]]

     
                                  ____
       Like everyone else in Idaho and around the country, our 
     family is feeling the pinch of higher gas prices, but unlike 
     with price hikes of the past, we, along with our neighbors, 
     are making changes in our driving habits that we hope will, 
     over time, drive down those prices. And that is a good thing. 
     Conservation will do more to make us energy independent than 
     drilling in the last pristine places like ANWR ever will. 
     And, of course, the less fossil fuel we burn, the more we 
     help stave off the effects of climate change.
       Of course, our family does not like having to dig so deeply 
     into our monthly budget to pay for gas at the pump, but it is 
     our hope that the pinch at the pump will be the motivator 
     that catapults our country to the forefront of alternative 
     energy production. If we can put a man on the moon, we can be 
     the innovators who lead the world toward a clean fuel future. 
     Let us pledge our country's attention, innovation and 
     resources to fund research and development in wind, solar, 
     wave and biomass energy. Nuclear energy, though enticing in 
     some ways, is just a different type of ``dirty fuel'' and 
     creates national security concerns as well. It is like 
     settling for a single when we know we can hit a home run.
       Thank you,
     Sara and Dan, Ketchum.
                                  ____

       We live in a large, rural state where things are not close 
     together and there is limited public transportation. My 
     husband works for the Idaho National Laboratory contractor, 
     Battelle, Inc., in Idaho Falls, which is about 50 miles away. 
     The INL does not provide transportation for workers that do 
     not travel to the ``site'' out in the desert. So he drives 
     100 miles a day to work. He does carpool with three others, 
     but the increase in gas prices has really cut into our 
     budget. We spend approximately $60/week between the two of 
     us. I also work full-time, and we have two children who 
     attend daycare so we need two vehicles.
       Our car is 14 years old, and our family is rapidly 
     outgrowing it. We would love to buy a new car, but cannot 
     afford to at this time. We are extremely frustrated with the 
     terrible fuel efficiency that larger ``family'' cars get. Our 
     little Toyota Corolla gets 30+ mpg, and we cannot find 
     anything close to that in larger sedans. Why would we want to 
     buy a new car that only gets 17-20 mpg? We are extremely 
     frustrated that we see news reports about hybrids, hydrogen 
     cars, ethanol cars, etc., but no real push to mass produce 
     any of them. Why is not Congress mandating this move? If we 
     can mandate digital TV, why cannot we mandate non-gasoline 
     vehicles and/or ways to improve the efficiency of existing 
     vehicles? Gas prices have affected every aspect of our lives, 
     every bill we get has a notice that it is going up due to 
     increased fuel costs, every grocery item costs more, when 
     does it end? Let us end our dependence on foreign oil and 
     help our environment while we are at it!
     Heather, Pocatello.
                                  ____

       Senator Crapo: Rising fuel costs (gasoline) have caused us 
     to cancel driving trips to Seattle from Coeur d' Alene ($150 
     fuel cost for one round trip) and a trip to Redding, 
     California, (fuel cost estimate for 750-mile round trip = 
     $150-$160). That is over $300 for fuel to take our usual 
     trips to see our relatives and take a vacation. I cannot 
     imagine the total effect on the economy of driving trips not 
     taken, airline tickets not purchased and hotel bills not 
     incurred multiplied by millions of Americans in just 2008 
     alone.
       Hey, Legislators: Let's get going on taking some ACTION to 
     develop our own petroleum resources and escape our dependence 
     on foreign sources!
     William, Dalton Gardens.
                                  ____

       Because I am a single woman of 58 and live on a fixed 
     income of about $1,000, I have had to cut back on a lot of 
     things. I live in Franklin County, and I see a liver 
     specialist in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since the gas prices have 
     gotten so outrageous, I have had to cancel my last 
     appointment with my doctor. I have since called him and told 
     him since the gas prices are outrageous; I cannot afford the 
     expense to drive down there for my follow-ups. We have agreed 
     that I will continue taking my tests at Logan Regional and, 
     if my tests show a drastic change, then we will make an 
     appointment, which I hope I can afford the cost. I am on 
     strong doses of steroids and other medications that my 
     specialist has to monitor me as well.
       I do not go anywhere except to the grocery store, pharmacy, 
     and church and collect my mail. When I have to drive to Logan 
     to take my medical tests, I accumulate what errands I have 
     for that day. I cannot afford to visit my children where one 
     lives in Syracuse, Utah, and the other in Smithfield, Utah. I 
     cannot afford cable, a newspaper, a cell phone or anything.
       I hope this helps.
     Joyce, Franklin.
                                  ____

       I own a staffing service and many of our employees can no 
     longer afford the cost of gas to drive to work. Most of these 
     workers drive older, less efficient gas mileage cars. These 
     workers just squeaked by when gas was at $2.00 per gallon. 
     Now with gas at $4.00, they cannot afford the extra cost. To 
     make ends meet many are forced to borrow money, if they can, 
     from the ``stop and rob payday loan'' outfits; or quit their 
     jobs entirely.
       Many American Families are being forced to go into debt 
     just to put gas into their cars. These high gas prices cannot 
     be sustained and cannot be tolerated, as they are forcing 
     extreme hardships on American families, especially on low 
     wage earners. These high gas prices are single handedly 
     impoverishing many, many Americans and many in congress have 
     vowed to do nothing about it.
       If you agree with me and you are tired of congress acting 
     totally inept in this matter, and in letting us down ``big-
     time'' by not taking the bold decisive steps needed to get us 
     out of this ``out of control'' gas crisis--please sign this 
     petition ``Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less.''
       Our message to Congress--Its time to stop talking and start 
     acting.
     Tony.
                                  ____

       Two years ago, my family and I moved from Sugar City where 
     I grew up, four miles north to a home site where my wife was 
     raised. It is a wonderful location, and we love living there. 
     However, the cost of energy has dramatically affected our 
     lifestyle. Our vehicle fuel consumption has tripled, and our 
     propane expense has more than doubled. Some of the price 
     fluctuation used to be seasonal, but I do not believe the 
     seasonal supplies and demands have much to do with it 
     anymore. As a 43-year-old American living in rural Idaho, I 
     have come to realize how dependent we have become on foreign 
     energy sources, and on personal vehicles for transportation. 
     We can plan better and drive less. We can resolve to drive 
     more fuel-efficient vehicles. We can determine to reduce our 
     food consumption and live more frugally. All of these things 
     we have done, but when it comes right down to it, these 
     changes have not made a drop in the bucket difference. There 
     is no way the average middle-class American can keep up with 
     this over the long run. Rising energy prices will prove to be 
     the single most troublesome factor in our economy. New energy 
     technologies are so bogged down and tied up in committees and 
     environmental quagmires that no action seems to ever take 
     place. In the meantime, the Chinese and other foreign 
     countries are teaching us how to drill for oil right off our 
     own shores in the Gulf of Mexico. Alaska seems to be off 
     limits, which is a joke. Coal-to-oil technologies have not 
     been taken seriously. We have made some progress with wind 
     turbine development, but again, wind energy can help certain 
     regions of our country, but is still a drop in the bucket in 
     relation to our energy consumption. I am disgusted that we 
     did not seriously pursue nuclear energy as a legitimate 
     alternative to fossil fuel 40 years ago. Technology is not 
     the problem; we have that. The problem is it takes so long to 
     tool up for nuclear energy that we will be lucky if our 
     grandchildren can benefit from this tremendously efficient 
     and clean alternative, even if it gains traction over the 
     next couple of years. That is one thing the French have 
     definitely showed us up on. To me, nuclear power is the long 
     term answer to our energy problem--please support it any way 
     you can.
       One last comment on nuclear power--I was talking to a 
     friend just the other day whose father worked for many years 
     at the INEL. His father told him that we really blew it when 
     we started developing nuclear power by keeping the process 
     such a secret. Start with secrecy, add a few mishaps like 
     Three Mile Island, stir it all together and you have a recipe 
     for paranoia and public distrust. What a shame! We have to 
     get over our fear of nuclear power.
       I love this country. I have increased my earning potential 
     tremendously and have so many freedoms that I am truly 
     grateful for. But I am very concerned that if we do get very 
     serious about this energy problem right now, my real standard 
     of living, even in the greatest county in the world, will 
     decline. I am not anti-environment; I believe that we can 
     protect the environment in a reasonable manner without 
     shutting off access to our God-given natural resources. We 
     are the stewards of our planet, but I believe it was made for 
     our use, not for us to be subject to it. I have a real 
     problem with the extremely radical vocal minority shutting 
     down all of our options. We have got to get smart and inject 
     a large dose of common sense into this energy equation.
       Thank You
     Tim, St. Anthony.
                                  ____

       Hi, I agree with some of what you are proposing but let us 
     stop making futile arguments here! The only way that I will 
     support more domestic production is if you come up with a 
     plan for more efficiency and conservation along with higher 
     building standards. Our state is hooked on cheap fuels, and 
     it only leads to waste, so I am fine with high energy costs 
     because it will lessen our carbon impact on the earth and we 
     will get more creative. Cheap fuel is a thing of the past, 
     and if we do not use the energy that we do have to prepare 
     for the future, I will never support you and will resent your 
     ignorance. Let us see a solid plan backed up with solid 
     implementation!
     Jim, McCall.
                                  ____

       Dear Senator Crapo, [I would like to know if the] question 
     of oil speculators [is being

[[Page 15209]]

     addressed]. Speculators are the ones primarily driving up the 
     prices and not so much the oil companies or the oil producing 
     nations. We did address refineries, and exploration and 
     drilling. Clearly the American people and, indeed, citizens 
     of other nations are suffering because of these speculators. 
     It is rather like my grandparents told me about the stock 
     market crash of 1929 when margin buying endangered the entire 
     financial structure of the world. Can Congress force the 
     commodities speculators to put down more than the 5% they now 
     use for their speculations? It would seem that if they had to 
     put up 50% or better, they would be a little more cautious in 
     their ``gambling''.
       Thank you for your time.
           Sincerely,
     Rochelle.
                                  ____

       Both my wife and I are retired government employees on 
     fixed incomes so we watch our P's and Q's very closely. In 
     spite of our cautious spending practices we have found 
     ourselves unwilling victims of the gas crunch.
       Here is how we got caught. Our son graduated from college, 
     owing substantially for money loaned to get through four 
     years of very expensive educational expenses. He has sought 
     out and found employment but not enough to pay back his 
     accumulated debt. His monthly income is not at all what he 
     had expected he might be able to get as a college graduate. 
     Currently my son continues to work and at the same time looks 
     for a better paying position . . . Here is where the gas 
     prices come into play: He is living/working in Eugene, 
     Oregon, and attempting to move into a higher-paying position 
     in Portland, Oregon. He has been traveling back and forth to 
     interview for jobs. One trip up and back in his older model 
     vehicle costs him about $60 in gas. On his salary, he cannot 
     afford to make the trip in search of better employment. He is 
     in fact a prisoner of the gas prices unable to travel to 
     further himself financially.
       As a consequence, he has had to get extensions on his 
     federal educational loan (not a good thing for the 
     government), which continues to charge him interest for the 
     unpaid balance. He is really stuck.
       We are also stuck because there was an additional $8,000 
     loan obtained that was not through the federal government, 
     which cannot be put on hold and must be paid now. So, here we 
     are putting out about $200 per month to cover his debt, money 
     we could really use as retired persons.
       The short of it is he is in a bind and we are in a bind. 
     Gas prices have handicapped him and imposed unnecessary 
     expenses on us. I think everybody is coming up short here 
     including the federal government.
     Jim and Lola.
                                  ____

       Dear Sen. Crapo, From $20 to $48 to fill up my car tank. I 
     think that says it all.
       Polling data indicates that the majority of people want us 
     to drill for our own oil. I want us to drill for our own oil.
       I believe that the only reason the Arabs said they would 
     increase the amount of oil that they produce is because they 
     became concerned that we might actually begin drilling our 
     own, and they wouldn't want that.
       Please, Senator Crapo, we are so tired of living under the 
     EPA's thumb. I urge you and Senator Craig to do whatever it 
     takes so that our oil companies can start producing again.
           Sincerely,
     Judy, Burley.

                          ____________________