[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1468-1470]
[From the U.S. 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:

       Hi Mr. Crapo,
       Thanks for inviting me to drop you a line on the gasoline 
     farce.
       In 2005 I was forced from my job with Alaska Airlines at 
     age 60 with no explanation other than ``we can do what we 
     want without explaining to you why.'' That stopped my 
     income--cold. Since then Donna and I have moved in with 
     Donna's aging and widowed mother and have been able to care 
     for her, while at the same time not having to make a house 
     payment. Nobody but Walmart will hire a guy my age with my 
     particular qualifications. So I still have no job. 
     Fortunately we have no bills. We were making it OK drawing my 
     Social Security early and making ends meet .  .  . until this 
     gas thing--that was then--this is now.
       Just this Monday, I filled my tank with 81 octane rating 
     and 16 gallons cost me $65. The net result is that I now 
     drink water instead of milk, I no longer can afford my 
     vitamins, we cannot afford the better whole wheat bread but 
     buy wonder bread because it's cheaper. (I quit eating bread 
     so I guess that's not all bad.), cut back on eggs, buy 75 
     percent fat free hamburger rather than the 90 percent stuff 
     at Winco. I had to cancel a Doctor's appointment for my blood 
     pressure check because I have no insurance and ran out of 
     money. Should I go on?
       In short this gas thing is making life difficult. I cannot 
     figure out why the Democrats are so obtuse. We cannot drill 
     here because of some patch of slippery grass or there because 
     we might melt the polar ice cap out from under some bear. Who 
     cares about that stuff in this critical time anyhow? This is 
     all really easy to figure out: Drill here, Drill now, and to 
     blazes with the frog lickkers and tree huggers. It is because 
     of them and their ilk that we have not built any new 
     refineries or opened any new drilling fields in the past 30 
     plus years. Gee, I wonder how much we would be paying for our 
     own gasoline drilled from our own wells and refined in our 
     own refineries? I am not an educated man but I think I have 
     got a handle on this. What is the matter with all your 
     buddies in Congress?
       Why is it that everybody else on God's Green Earth is 
     drilling wherever they need (and want to) and we continue to 
     buy oil from people who'd just as soon kill us as look at us. 
     You know what? We have some of the largest oil reserves on 
     Earth and we let some team of morons who think the bears and 
     the slippery grass are more important than me, stop us from 
     drilling in our own back yard?--I don't think so. I haven't 
     slipped on any endangered grass or seen a polar bear face to 
     face except in the zoo--and I do not expect I will in what 
     remains in my life time. But I do have grandkids who don't 
     live close by. What is more important than me seeing my 
     grandkids down in Poky or Ogden? Bears or grass? No siree. I 
     would sure like to be able to afford to go see my grandkids 
     when they say ``Gramp will you come and play with me?''--and 
     I now cannot--because nobody with the horsepower will face 
     down that bunch of friends of earth and the Audobon Society 
     and stop this insanity.
       I have a sweet little 3 year old granddaughter who cries 
     because her Grandma tells her she cannot afford to come see 
     her. Now that darn near tears my heart out.
     Curtis Maughan.
                                  ____

       We have owned and operated an electrical contracting 
     business for 21 years and presently employ 18 people in the 
     Treasure Valley. Like many, we feel our economy is in crisis, 
     mostly fueled by the price of energy.
       The prices of steel, copper, plastics and fuel all drive 
     the cost of our end product up to the consumer. We believe we 
     are reaching the tipping point where the consumer will simply 
     have to make the choice between food/fuel or services such as 
     we provide and that means the loss of jobs and income to 
     families supported by businesses such as ours (for example--
     our employees, suppliers, other subcontractors, and other 
     small businesses that support us). Two years ago our monthly 
     fuel bill was $1,200.00. Today our monthly fuel bill is over 
     $2,500.00. We can only absorb so many increases before we can 
     no longer afford to do business.
       Our society was built on free enterprise and the inaction 
     of our government to address the energy needs of the country 
     crushes our ability to produce and contribute to

[[Page 1469]]

     the economy. The government has too long tried to appease 
     special interests. For our government to shackle us to 
     dependency on foreign energy when we have everything we need 
     right here is a disservice to the people. We can pursue our 
     own resources with negligible impact on our environment. We 
     must go forward with the pursuit of energy independence, both 
     green and fossil fuels. Free up Anwar, the Atlantic shelf, 
     the Gulf and our natural gas. The government should 
     aggressively subsidize solar, wind and other alternative 
     energy options for the consumer.
       The statement was made by Senator Obama that there is no 
     immediate solution for high gas prices but when do we start? 
     If we had started eight years ago we would be closer. We must 
     begin now. If this does not change our lives in this country 
     will be irreversibly damaged. As Americans we are being 
     forced to sell pieces of our country to foreign interests in 
     order to survive. This is not the American way. The actions 
     of our government are giving our country away. If this 
     continues, who will we be in ten years? What will be left of 
     our distinct way of life? We Americans are unique in how we 
     live. We choose to pursue happiness and independence and that 
     pursuit has been good for the world, and yet the world 
     criticizes us for having the freedom to do this and would 
     like nothing more than to chain us to their ideals. If our 
     quest for the American dream is smothered by the demands of 
     the world then Democracy dies here and all the sacrifices of 
     the generations before us are lost.
       Please do all you can at the federal level to persuade the 
     rest of Congress to secure our energy and our economy.
     Alan and Cathleen Lusk.
                                  ____

       I wish I could just limit my story to just one. I could go 
     on for days about the way the high energy prices are 
     affecting me and my family here in Idaho. I will cite a few 
     for your information.
       Heating costs--Just last week, Jan. 14th, we had yet 
     another snow storm--That makes 8 months of snow here in 
     Idaho. But with that it means my home was being heated by 
     Off-Road Diesel again. When I bought this house I was paying 
     $0.95 a gallon for fuel to heat my home for my wife, four 
     kids, and police K-9. Through the last few years I have seen 
     a very large increase in the cost to keep it very cold to 
     just get by. I have had my home insulated and weatherized. I 
     am the low income American. I worked hard to get off of state 
     programs and CHIP. Now it seems that was done for no reason. 
     I still make too much money for aid programs, but now I will 
     have to give up these items I worked hard to get and get off 
     of state programs. I got the American dream just to be priced 
     back out of it. I now spend $1400+ to fill my heating oil 
     tank. As you know natural gas is not up here in Cascade. It 
     is cheaper than oil, but we cannot get it. So I had to make a 
     choice, health insurance or heating my home. I chose to keep 
     my family warm. So now I pray no one gets sick or hurt. When 
     I say warm I mean 64 degrees. I am not sure if you know what 
     that feels like, but it is very cold during the winter. In 
     the summer you would say that your AC was great.
       Grocery Costs--Here is another area that has seen large 
     price hikes to deal with the cost of transporting food. We 
     live in Cascade and well it costs more to get food to us up 
     here than in Boise. It is nothing new to spend a few more $ 
     on something that is cheaper in Boise. In the last two years 
     milk has gone up over $1.50 a gallon. Eggs almost a $1.00 
     too. Everything that I consider a must-have item has gone up 
     and up. Know what? My pay has gone down in the same time 
     frame. A slow economy means less hours of work and that means 
     less money in my paycheck. I would not presume to complain to 
     you over the cost of steak and lobster or stuff like that. I 
     cannot remember what a steak taste like and what color is 
     lobster again? I am talking about the things you cannot skimp 
     on here: Milk for my four kids.
       These higher energy costs are affecting everything that we 
     buy. Because of that, we are having to make choices about 
     what we spend our money on. You can use any inflation score 
     you want, I believe they were set up to have numbers say 
     whatever you want them to say. Like the four out of five 
     doctors line. The proof is in the pudding. The inflation 
     where the metal meets the meat is double digit. We are making 
     choices that people who make six figures a year would never 
     believe. We went from middle class to no class. Every penny 
     at the pump means another though choice at the dinner table. 
     We have to drive to go to work to keep the lights on. There 
     is no choice. We have no buses, no subway, and I don't own a 
     horse. So I get up and get in my American Made truck and 
     drive to a pump where a company who posts record profits but 
     says they are not making any money, gouges me. They should 
     just stand there with a gun and rob me, at least I would feel 
     like I was treated like a man. They would be up front and in 
     my face. No, instead they hide behind Congressmen and a 
     president they have bought with campaign cash.
       The more and more I think about this as I write it, the 
     more and more I think the system is broke. We cry out to our 
     elected people in Washington for help. There is a lot of good 
     talk about how they are going to help us, but nothing ever 
     happens. We spend too much money on nothing getting done. If 
     we were running Washington DC like a business we would be 
     bankrupt.
       Mike, I am not attacking you, I support you. You won me 
     over when you came to my town when Boise Cascade left. But I 
     feel you are a working man in a land of people that believe 
     we are here so they can serve in Congress. I believe you know 
     you are there because we put you there. I hope and pray you 
     can find a solution to this madness. The fix has to come now 
     not next year. Smaller countries set the fuel price and they 
     pick up the difference. This is how the economy in those 
     countries is not failing. When Ma Bell got too big you all 
     regulated them. When the cable company got too big you 
     regulated them. When the electric company got too big you 
     regulated them. Where is the regulation on the oil companies? 
     They have shown time and time again that they cannot police 
     their own activities. They will root around in your pockets 
     while you are filling up your car just to take the last bit 
     of cash you have. Americans have more debt now than ever. I 
     know I was debt free three years ago. Now, I am strapped. On 
     the edge of losing it all. I don't have a flat screen TV, no 
     gold silverware. Nothing big and new. Just trying to get by. 
     Putting milk on a credit card. What are we to do? People say 
     we are going to pull out of this soon. I say we will only 
     pull out of this when the energy prices go down. How can 
     anyone but big oil make any more money to pay its employees 
     more money? They cannot, so if I cannot get paid more, then 
     the costs have to go down for me to have more.
       Just my thoughts.
     Jason Speer, Cascade.
                                  ____

       This may be late, however, I still think you should know my 
     story. I am sure it is not much different from many others 
     across our state or America.
       I own a small cleanup business that services new 
     construction job sites. I started the business just over six 
     years ago. I drive anywhere between 100 to 150 miles a day--
     most of which is miles driving to and from the Ada County 
     landfill (2 to 3 trips a day). I am easily putting $50+ a day 
     of fuel into my truck. I drive a Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 
     pulling a dump bed trailer. Basically, I am going through a 
     lot of fuel. The prices are up considerably from a year ago. 
     With the continued rise of fuel, I am given two choices. 1) 
     Ask my builders for more money to pay for the fuel, or 2) 
     Quit my business. Both choices will have a chain reaction in 
     how it affects my life (well-being). My builders will 
     complain. Some will understand and be willing to pay more, 
     others will not want my business because my prices are too 
     high. If I quit my business, I will then have to find other 
     means of income for my family. Six plus years of building a 
     business is a hard thing to give up on. The housing industry 
     in Idaho is not very good right now and with the low amount 
     of work, it affects my income. I currently am making just 
     enough to meet costs. With the addition of high fuel costs it 
     hits me twice as hard.
       I do not know what the right answer is to make things 
     better. Off shore drilling for the United States will not 
     have an effect for many years. The people of Idaho and 
     elsewhere need help now. I do not know much about law or the 
     principles of supply and demand--but it would sure be nice if 
     the government could somehow make a drastic cut in fuel 
     prices. I too would like to take vacations around the state 
     or to Utah to see family. This past weekend it cost $110.00 
     for my family to make a round trip to Salt Lake City from 
     Nampa. We have a Honda Accord. It will most likely be the 
     only trip we take for the rest of the year.
       Sorry for all the mistakes in my writing. I have so much on 
     my mind when it comes to my family's well-being, my business, 
     and fuel prices.
       I'd be happy to share more information.
     Jonathan Plummer, Nampa.
                                  ____

       Hello Mike, if you want the answer, here it is. I have 
     traveled this nation throughout my life. I know that from 
     Alaska to California there are thousands of oil wells that 
     sit idle, not pumping at all, at current use over a 150 years 
     of oil in the ground, already drilled no exploration needed, 
     no problems with environmentalists, that is not to mention 
     the millions of gallons of oil that is pumped from the Alaska 
     pipeline directly on to tankers only to leave our country 
     (USA) to be sold to BP or some other company. The Alaska 
     pipeline in the 70's was promised to the American people 
     (one-third of the oil pumped out of the ground in Alaska is 
     pumped back into the ground because the line can't handle 
     it). Now to talk about refineries, the American people have 
     been told we do not have any refineries, we have them in 
     Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California . . . four of 
     the major oil companies in the USA are held by one holding 
     company, the last I heard, what they are doing is called 
     price fixing (which is against the law, remember the breakup 
     of Microsoft?). Our government chooses to buy our oil from 
     terrorists, only to support further war, help to build indoor 
     ski resorts (in the desert) and manmade islands some of the 
     largest construction projects ever attempted, at the expense 
     of the American people and our economy. When will we stand up 
     for ourselves?

[[Page 1470]]

     ``Even China has.'' We need to use our own oil (reserves) say 
     no more to the oil companies (break them up like in the 
     1900s) take control for our country and not let big business 
     run it. ``Regardless of greed'' this is our country and our 
     economy. If the economy fails, what good is money (we are on 
     reserve note not gold standard)? Is not our government 
     supposed to be by the people for the people? I can show a 
     direct correlation between the down turn in the economy and 
     fuel prices. Our soldiers are in the Middle East fighting a 
     war we cannot win, and the Terrorists are winning the 911 war 
     by destroying our core (economy) by controlling the cost of 
     our energy (fuel) and we just sit idle. Our government says, 
     in part, it is because we need to go green, but autos are 
     less than 10 percent of the problem.
       Here it is:
       Use our reserves (oil in our ground).
       Give the Alaska pipe line back to the people.
       Take our pocket book out of it (political investors).
       Tell OPEC what we will pay (not what they will have us 
     pay).
       Break up the oil companies (price fixing is against the 
     law).
       Let the Middle East take care of themselves. The only value 
     they have is the value the world puts on them. If they are 
     worth nothing then they are nothing.
       Brazil is 100 percent self sufficient and fuel is less than 
     $1.50 a gallon.
       We need to stand up and say no, we will use our own oil, 
     you would be amazed how fast the prices would drop, but we 
     would still need to say no, so we can control it and keep 
     control of it (in our country anyway).
       Of the people by the people we are the U.S.A.
     Richard Stephens, Caldwell.

                          ____________________