Idahoans Speak Out on High Energy Prices
Floor Speech
IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH ENERGY PRICES -- (Senate - July 14, 2008)
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 over 1,000, are heartbreaking and touching. To respect their efforts, I am submitting every e-mail sent to me through energy There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows: Like many other single parents out there, we have to commute to work for better-paying jobs and cannot take public transportation because they won't stop at daycare and the store on the way home from work. So, yes, like every family, whether single or not, you have to drive and cannot ride your bike, but give me a break. And tell me why the airlines are now charging a $75 escort fee for your child under 12 flying alone (it was $30 last year), and this is to walk them from the counter to the plane. Tell me how much gas does that use? And their reason for increased cost is the fuel prices. So that is $150 round trip to walk from the counter to the plane on top of the airline charge. What is going to be the next excuse--charging to use the restroom during the flight? I seriously believe this is going to extremely out of hand before it gets any better. And is anyone going to do anything about all of this? I do not think so!!! Thank you, -- Dear Senator Crapo, When gas hit $2 a gallon, my husband and I agreed that neither of us expected the price to ever go below $2 and that the price would continue to increase because of increased demand from China and India and the Iraq war. In 2006, we traded in a mid-80s Saturn and bought a Toyota Prius because of its gas mileage. As the price of gas continued to increase, my husband bought a scooter to commute to work whenever the weather is dry. The scooter gets 90+ miles to the gallon. Being a stay-at-home mom for a while with our daughter, I consolidate errands into a single trip whenever I can and handle as many things as I can over the telephone. Gas is now over $4 a gallon (. . . diesel is almost $5!), but everyday I still see huge shiny pickup trucks and SUVs driven by solo drivers commuting to work. Would I like gas to be cheaper? Sure, but it is not reasonable to expect that it is going to happen any time soon. Domestic oil reserves cannot be developed quickly enough for us to seriously depend on that strategy. We must reduce demand and become more efficient. Our grandparents and parents supported the war effort by reducing their personal consumption of oil, metal, clothing and food (among other items). Why do our leaders (you!) insist that citizens are unable to rise to the occasion and change our consumption? Do I support destroying the Alaskan wilderness so my fellow Idahoans can commute in SUV's? No! Do I support fighting wars over oil so we can go water skiing and speed boating at Lucky Peak? No! Do I support subsidizing and coddling the American car industry which has stubbornly refused to offer fuel efficient cars? No! If Boise had a light rail system, would we use it to visit family and run errands in Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell? You bet! Senator Crapo, please be a leader who does not ask citizens to wallow in anger and pity. Establish your leadership and vision around responsible use and investment in the future! Best regards, -- Dear Mr. Crapo: Thank you so much for trying to fight this battle for us. I do not think there is a family in the U.S. that is not being affected by our high fuel costs. For many of us, we have long considered our fuel as a necessity but with the prices we now are paying, it is becoming a luxury! My husband and I are getting close to retirement, so we have been trying to plan and save for that time. With these fuel charges, I will have to reduce my 401K payments because I drive 25 miles to work each day. Sure, I could try and buy a smaller car to reduce my fuel bill, but my car is fairly new and paid for and it does not seem economically feasible to trade it in and start making payments on a smaller car. No, we won't go without food or shelter, but we will be tightening our belts on other aspects of our lives. Our Saturday drives, date nights, and trips to visit our grandkids will be greatly reduced. These are the things that we have worked hard to achieve and enjoy and now will not be able to do so. I greatly encourage our country to begin using our own resources. Domestic drilling and refining is the answer. Sure, I care about the environment and harming wildlife, but I care more about the human aspect of this crisis. Our human way life has become harmed. Why aren't the environmentalists worrying about that? With technology what it is today, there are fewer chances of oil spills or environmental issues. I also know that, with our technology, it will not take eight to ten years to get this oil into production. I think we need to begin drilling in ANWR and off the coast of California immediately. As a citizen I will do my part to help with energy conservation but I also expect our legislatures to step up and do their part and stop being controlled by special interest environmentalists. Thank you once again for your efforts. -- As seniors on a pension and Social Security, I think we are among the hardest hit. I think it is criminal that neither energy nor food is included in the COLA. It is going to be a long time before these prices come down and I think it is time the COLA is based on something a little more realistic. We cannot live without either one of these items. Also living in rural Idaho, we do not have any public transportation. I truly think the government would just as soon that we would all die off so they do not have to deal with us. -- Dear Senator Mike Crapo: If you really care about one of the most crippling economic problems facing our nation, it is the impact of the greed of the oil industry infrastructure. The racketeering (oh, well, what else should I call it?) of the oil industry is having massive inflationary impact on this nation, severely damaging this nations transportation system. The ripple effects will be far-reaching and crippling over the long term. Damage to the transportation infrastructure with loss of service through airline cutbacks, will have long term impact on the entire travel industry, in turn impacting the entire economy. Fewer flights and fewer airline routes (and bankrupt carriers) require less airplanes, impacting aircraft production (loss of airplane orders and jobs at Boeing), resulting in fewer jobs, and fewer hours worked. Resultant higher ticket prices make discretionary travel (vacations) less affordable impacting hotels, motels, theme parks, rental cars, etc. Look further still and it not hard to visualize the massive ripple: less hotel and motel supplies purchased, restaurant food, new automobiles for the rental car industry, etc. The airline industry, trucking, farming, plastics (and other products reliant on petrochemicals) and food production are all suffering from the unchecked corporate oil industry greed. Greed that only promises to worsen, as the oil industry blackmails us with obvious threat of higher prices without access to protected areas for drilling. Yet they actually do nothing too relieve the bottlenecks nor improve their existing production infrastructure. Nor is it a short term solution. They claim investment, in what, additional tracts of land to grow their holdings, and exploration, to lock in future production, but provide no meaningful major expenditure that has improved current production that is of benefit to the American consumer. When was the last new refinery opened, or the old existing infrastructure modernized, unless required by regulation, or replacement due to industrial accident or breakdown? The number of competitors has shrunk thru buyouts and mergers over the years, serving to destroy the competitive market, and pricing at the pump, is nothing short of collusion, thinly veiled as competitive free market pricing. And the oil industry gets wiser on how to game the congress and the people. And you sit still for it! We need very badly the long term solutions you speak of, however, we need action now with a high priority placed on bringing a cessation to the greed based damage to this nations economy and the severe economic burden being endured by the voters you elected officials collectively represent. If it is bad now, think of the winter heating bill citizens in the nation's cold climate will shortly face when winter is once again upon us. So vital is this industry to our nation's economy, it is past time to regulate it! I repeat, it is past time to regulate the oil industry! Our government regulates electricity, natural gas, and telephone infrastructure, and the FCC TV & radio. How is the oil industry any different? How is the oil dependency/infrastructure of this nation less vital? They are no longer serving this nation's interest in a responsible manner, have made a complete mockery of congressional investigations (with the aid of some members of congress), and basically have the United States of America over a barrel! A good place to start would be to make speculation illegal (dealing through third party brokers & traders illegal. If a person/company does not actually physically handle the actual product, it should be made illegal to profit from it by brokering or speculation.). How many airlines have to fold, how many truckers go under, and how much unnecessary inflation must this nation endure before our elected (for now) officials really do something meaningful? It is said oil is higher due to the shrinking dollar. Oil has driven the dollar down and is a major player in our current inflation. It impacts the United States, it ripples thru the world. Have you asked yourselves why the voters think less of our elected officials (per polls) than our President? Are you really happy with that? Your email implies you care. Then prove it to the voters you represent. Start the Congress on a path to put control and regulation on [the oil] industry so very vital to the nation's economy and infrastructure. How long must we wait for Congress to stop the ongoing damage to our dollar, cost of living (including food), and our transportation infrastructure? What could be more important to both the short-term and long-term wellbeing of this country and its citizens in your list of priorities? On another but still related issue, where is this nation's long range planning? If I might cite an example; Japan after WWII as a nation set its sights on consumer electronics and the automobile. Look where they are today with those technologies and look at our once proud auto industry, now a cripple. Kennedy pointed this nation toward the moon--within ten years. It was a national plan and a priority. What are this nation's long-term goals? Do you know? Why do not we the people know? These items should rise above petty politics. They should be without party ownership and bickering. And a declaration of persona non grata made toward the oil lobby and their bought and paid for elected officials. Thank you for asking for my story, but it is really a much larger story than my story; it is our story. -- Dear Senator Crapo: It is good to hear from you and know that at least one politician in Washington has their head on straight. Thank you for representing those of us who do not buy the ``man-caused global warming'' hoax. I believe it is a natural cycle the earth has gone thru many times before and will continue to undergo. I believe all Americans want clean air, water and a healthy environment which can all be accomplished while simultaneously drilling in ANWAR, off coast regions and exploring other natural resources available domestically. Sincerely, -- Dear Senator Crapo: Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on what I think is the most important issue we should have faced at least twenty years ago. Yet, I know that mustering the political will to make the changes we needed to make would have been very difficult then. Nonetheless, here we are in 2008 and, being Americans, we will face this crisis with intelligence and determination. Frankly, I put the rising prices into this perspective. I drive a Hyundai Accent and average about 34 mpg and drive about 11,000 miles per year. So, I buy about 325 gallons annually. Gasoline has increased $1.75 over the last short while. So, on average I'm paying an additional $47 per month. Sure, I'd rather spend that on something else, but that really is not that bad. My wife drives our Toyota 4 Runner. Her commute is short and other than that, we only use that vehicle for recreation ..... about 4,000 to 5,000 miles per year. Again, I can live with it. To my way of thinking, the increased gas prices have been a blessing. It has finally brought the discussion of energy management to forefront where it has needed to be for some time. Not only is our economic well being at stake, but the security of America as well. Were it not for oil, would we have ever even heard of Saddam Hussein? And, too, we are finally coming to agreement that climate change is real and are showing signs that we may actually address it. If higher gas prices are the cost of getting to have this discussion, so be it. What should we do about gas prices, you ask? Nothing. Market forces will bring down gas consumption which should have a moderating effect on prices. People are opting for more fuel efficient cars which may stimulate the auto industry. And finally, I think the federal government should take a more active role with our currency issues to keep the dollar from falling much further. I know there is reluctance to that idea, but the circumstances seem to warrant it. Regards, -- Dear Senator Crapo: I do not agree with your assessment regarding the high price of gas. We are being gouged by the oil companies, and I will prove my point. Oil is at about $130 a barrel. There are 42 gallons in a US barrel, which equates to $3.09 a gallon for crude. Add to this the price for refining say $0.40 distribution $0.25. State and federal Taxes and about $0.25 a gallon a gas station makes and you will see that we are already over $4 a gallon. How do the oil companies make these massive profits every quarter? In the United States, we have to import 40% of our oil the other 60% comes from Alaska, Texas, California, the Gulf, etc. Are we paying $130 a barrel to the oil companies for oil coming out of our own back yard? You people blame China and India for the cost of fuel today. For your information, I have been to both countries. They do not have the amount of cars we Americans have. In fact, they are a bicycle society. I am fed up with Congress and the Senate for not taking any action on this issue; in fact, President Bush is quiet on the subject. I have always been [conservative], but I fear that this coming election [conservatives will not fare well], mainly due oil prices which has a ripple effect and cause unemployment, rise in food prices etc. The hardest hit people in out society are the old people of which I am one. Sincerely, -- Our current monthly gas budget has almost tripled with the increase during the past year. With my husband working out of town (300+ miles weekly commute) and I'm working for a non-profit that reimburses me @$.40/mile, we are going in the hole. As our state representative, you and your family should be feeling the same affects of the energy prices that we are, and helping correct this problem. Are you? Respectfully, -- Dear Senator: I am a hard-working Idahoan who has to change my behavior because of high energy costs, but I also understand that sometimes you have to pay the piper. Nobody likes to go on a diet or take medicine. Yet in order to get well, we have to do things we do not like. This is one of those times. The answer to our energy problem is not to find some way to ignore or go around what made us fat and sick. And, I mean that quite literally. Furthermore, you know as well as I do that local oil will be the same price as global oil. The market price is the price regardless of where it comes from. You do no favor to the public with this tactic. Feel free to quote me. -- We are unable to see our children who live 500 to 1000 miles away due to gas prices. We are getting older and live on retirement income, thus we are unable to help them out with gas for making a trip to Idaho. I expect we will never get to see them again. -- Senator Crapo for the last three years, I have been traveling to Missoula, Montana, for medical treatments for cancer and I had a stint placed. I was traveling every three weeks for treatments and I am happy to say that the cancer is in remission as of now but Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma cannot be cured, it can be treated usually but not cured, and it keeps coming back. I am not only faced with expenses at the Cancer Center and doctor, but I have a diseased liver and they have no idea why the tests are showing such high levels in the tests. It seems all of this has hit more or less all at once in traveling and taking the tests. I have to stay overnight at times, and this, of course, creates more expenses which the government or the insurance and Medicare does not cover. My nest egg for retirement is getting eaten up each month, and it will run out. I worry about my wife if something happens to me. I hope that someone reads this that can help me and others in the same boat. Thank you for giving me this chance to air my concerns about my health and what all it is taking to handle the situation so far. Sincerely
TRACY, Star.
KIMBERLY, Boise.
JEANNETTE, Idaho Falls.
DONNA.
JOHN.
MIKE, Emmett.
PETE, Boise.
George.
Marcia.
Jim.
Robert and Peggy, Emmett.
George, Salmon
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