Idahoans Speak Out on High Energy Prices
Floor Speech
IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH ENERGY PRICES -- (Senate - July 11, 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: Dear Senator Crapo: I work for Micron Technology in Boise Idaho as an Engineer. I love my job, but it is getting harder to pay my mortgage, food, gas and cost of living expenses. My wife used to work for Micron, but she got laid off last summer and has not found a new job. My job as an Engineer covered our expenses, and my wife's job was the extra money we used to go camping, out to dinner, and have fun with. Right now, we are barely getting by. All we do is sit home and complain about the politicians in Washington that are not doing anything to create jobs, lower gas prices and promote a stable economy. I have given up on Washington. I am voting for a third party all the way from now on because the Republicans and Democrats can't play well together. Sincerely, -- Good afternoon Senator Crapo: First of all I want to thank you for the great job you do as my U.S. Senator! I am an avid outdoorsman and like to backpack, hunt, fish, camp and enjoy all that Idaho has to offer! I am also a Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America. In that capacity, it is necessary to have a big truck to haul gear and Scouts around. One of the Laws of Scouting is that a Scout is thrifty and, as such, we (I) make every effort to camp smartly to keep costs down for the parents so as to make scouting more affordable and enjoyable. We also believe in ``Leave No Trace Camping,'' and try very hard to be good stewards of the environment. Up until recently, most of the Scoutmasters, including myself, have donated their trucks, fuel and maintenance costs as part of our monthly campouts. Unfortunately, fuel costs over the last few years have now taken a real toll on us, and we have had to pass many or most of those costs onto the parents. Additionally, my family enjoys camping, and the costs of fuel are definitely negatively impacting our families ability to get out an enjoy nature as much as we used to. Furthermore, as a Scouter, outdoorsman, businessman and family man, I am very concerned about the environment and want to preserve it for my kids, grandchildren and others. Therefore, a very careful look into preserving nature is important to me! For years I have seen the United States being wasteful users of gasoline and other natural resources and sought to do my part to recycle and conserve energy. I have tried in earnest to reduce water waste and electric waste by turning water off as well as lights to reduce use and costs. Last month, I began to carpool with a neighbor on a daily basis to work to cut down on my personal consumption. I am trying to do my part in the effort; however, our country (my country) has been very shortsighted and unwilling to do a number of key things to lessen our dependence on foreign oil and gas. For one, there has been a group within the United States that has successfully put a stranglehold on our ability to develop and extract petroleum products from known oil reserves. They would be best described as ultra radical tree huggers! That is as nice as I can put it! Again, I am an avid lover of nature, but our unwillingness to use those reserves has given OPEC and other oil producers around the world a wonderful opportunity to hold us hostage and run the prices up and watch us squirm! In my opinion some of our citizens and their elected officials have failed to protect our independence in the world market, by allowing ourself to become so dependent on foreign oil. As a respected Senator, I implore you to take this message to the Senate floor and loudly state that enough is enough!!! Remove the obstacles that prohibit the extraction of oil on our soil and within the territorial waters of the United States and get the control of oil back in our hands! Furthermore, with as much scientific talent that exist in our own country, we need to develop cleaner and more efficient vehicles while at the same time finding alternative engines powered by solar, nuclear, hydrogen or other alternative fuels to get our country back within our own control and not other governments or private companies! I enjoy having a big truck for all the activities I like to do, and there must be a safe, efficient, cost-effective power plant that can run a truck as well as a car, and we are long overdue on finding that alternative! Furthermore, the costs in fuel have really driven food costs as well as other household products costs way out of control!!!! I am fed up with the ultra extreme protectionist attitude in this country that has put us in this predicament! I do want responsible, well thought-out procedures to safeguard the environment while at the same time (for the short term) use our own oil while we think of new ways to make driving more cost-efficient, safe and with less pollution to the environment. I seriously think we are more than up to the task and believe that we can safely do both!!! Sincerely, -- With the price of gas going up, it just does not affect us with how much we drive; it affects groceries and price of common goods like carpet. Up till just this last month, we haven't had to make any drastic changes to our spending habits, but because of the price of everything, we are going to have to. A vacation we were going to take will have to wait, carpet that we were going to purchase will have to be put on hold, etc. What makes matters worse is to find out that China is drilling in the Gulf Coast, right off our shore. Why aren't we drilling there, why aren't we becoming energy independent? If the Senate and the House can't get it right, which is not more taxation I might add, we need to get people in office that will. I thank you that you did not go along with the last bill and hope that you continue to fight for good legislation. -- Dear Senator Crapo: Thank you so much for the opportunity to offer my views on our energy crisis. I'm 48 years old and grew up on a farm. In fact I can remember buying bulk fuel for 25 cents per gallon. Most of my growing up time gasoline cost between 35 and 50 cents. This is the first time in my life I have ever made decisions based on the cost of fuel! My family spends about $250 per month on fuel and that is a burden but that is not the major problem. Fuel used in industry and transportation has affected the cost of every area of our lives. I know that India and China get the blame for increased demand but I do not believe that is the only factor. ``Green'' is most definitely a factor and I cannot believe the ``science'' behind this movement. Seems they assume that if I do not buy their dogma hook, line, and sinker that I am dooming my children to hell. Please do the correct thing vs the ``political thing'' concerning green. Next, I would wonder about the sense of using our corn crop to make ethanol rather than to feed people. This may be the biggest reason for my increased cost of food. Lastly, America needs to stand for the right, not the popular. I feel that the USA is acting rudderless because we have forgotten what we are. Please read the Constitution and lets get back to where the Founding Fathers wanted us to be. One Nation Under God ..... not one nation under Gore. Thank you -- I had heard from a friend of a friend one time that the INL outside of Idaho Falls produces enough energy to easily run a few cities. And that this energy is simply being pumped into the ground and completely wasted. Because the government cannot legally enter into the competitive energy market, I suppose. As INL is a secure site and having never been there, I am not positive this information is accurate. But knowing how our government usually works, I would not doubt that it is all true and to the point. If there is truly energy that can be used at the INL, let's use it! Credit back the INL funds to produce further employment and benefit everyone all around. -- I ride my bike. Gas prices for that are $0, pollution is minimal, impact to the roads minimal, and most of all, it is great for my health. -- Dear Senator Crapo: I now ride a bicycle to deal with the high cost of gasoline. You may be surprised to know that bicycles are about 97% efficient in converting energy to motion. Of course, there are times of the year when this is not practical (like during the winter), so I would make the following recommendation. We need more fuel-efficient motor vehicles, and one way to do that would be to pass legislation limiting the maximum weight of new motor vehicles. The automotive industry could make significant improvements in motor vehicle fuel efficiency if they would all move to lower mass designs. For this, they need a level playing field that also resets safety standards to consider a lower maximum vehicle weight. To achieve a lower vehicle weight, industry would have to employ new or alternative materials. It is not just about the engines. -- Three of us work for Scentsy Candles in Meridian, which is 26 miles one way. We drive two cars; I get off at 3 pm, and the others get off at 5:30 pm. One car spends 42.00 a week, and the other car spends 48.25 a week. You do the math. When does it stop ..... -- The energy prices are outrageous! The only people that it is not affecting are the rich and famous! We are in the process of building a new home ..... and did you know that Idaho does not have any kind of programs that will help a homebuilder with solar panels or windmills. If you are so worried about energy, why not bring some programs that will help people with these kinds of things. In looking at the costs of these things, there is not one program out there that will help the individuals who are barely making it. We would love to go solar and wind, but on top of all the other high costs, there's no way we can afford it. Too bad you aren't as worried as you say you are, or we in Idaho would already have these kinds of programs in effect! All we do is save and help the lazy people who would rather take and take from the government. There are no programs to help the ones that really need it and wouldn't use the system, over and over again. Just think--if we could afford the extra 10-30k for solar panels and all that is needed to make solar energy, we could be selling power back to Avista! But the rich and famous politicians do not have to worry about their energy bills! Eight years ago, I made a statement of ``when Bush is done with this country, no one will be able to afford gas.'' Well, it is almost that time! I sure hit that one right on the money! We need to get our troops out of Iraq, also. If we had all the money that was being spent on a war we can't win (what are we suppose to win anyway?) The government could have already given every citizen in the United State a million dollars to spend any way they wanted to and still have money left! But we have to be killing people and letting our soldiers die, too. When they get injured, we do not do anything for them. How sad is our country, anyway. We shouldn't be fighting with anyone! -- I have a small sales company that sells new construction hardware for the residential market. This territory is for Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The amount of new construction is way off from two years ago and, coupled with gasoline costing over $4 a gallon, it becomes almost impossible to service the accounts profitably. What do we do to counteract the negative forces? We drive 4-cylinder cars that get good mileage, drive less, make more phone calls and hope for improvement in the construction sector. What do we believe would help the current squeeze by high gasoline prices? Encourage more development of the Bakken Oil Formation which stretches across North Dakota, Montana, and part of Saskatchewan. This oil field has 3.65 billion barrels of light sweet crude according to the USGS and that is not counting reserves. What to do with it? Threaten the oil companies with the possibility of taking away the extra tax credits afforded them unless they expedite refinery capacity (Does not matter how much crude without the refining capacity), and give a very concerted effort to begin major extraction from this large pool of oil. This oil field makes a lot more sense than drilling in ANWR when considering the location and amount of crude available. Nuclear? You bet. With today's technology, it makes extreme sense to use nuclear power. The biggest problem of course is waste disposal. How many billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on Yucca Mountain? Tell the state of Nevada that the facility is the property of the U.S. government and that it will use it according to the best interests of the U.S. citizens. Does Joe Citizen think that we have a big problem with energy right now? You bet. Would the above ideas help? I think so. Can it be done? If the U.S. could put a man on the moon almost 40 years ago and that was not under emergency conditions, why not? A lot of people need to sit down in Washington D.C. and say ``Hey we have a real problem here, let's fix it''. If NASA can put a man on the moon why can't the whole U.S. fix the energy problem? Regards, -- Honorable Mike Crapo: Our youth group used to spend our summers enjoying the absolutely fabulous Idaho backcountry. We used to hike, fish, swim in all the scenic Idaho lakes and rivers. Congress has spent a lot of effort to make sure that these pristine areas are set aside for future generations to enjoy. I applaud their efforts to maintain a balance between energy exploration and the ability to witness the beauties of nature. However, due to the continuing increases in fuel costs, those days of exploring these backcountry wonders is quickly becoming only a shadow. Our youth group is no longer able to afford these backcountry trips due to the fuel expense. With a continued increase in gas cost, it will be a wonder if soon anyone will be able to make the excursion. I would fully support the limited and non-intrusive exploration and exploitation of the vast oil, gas and coal resources our country has been blessed with to maintain the life style that past generations have enjoyed. Open ANWR and our coastlines to these proven reserves. I believe we have the technology to safely capture all the fossil fuel reserves that are within our ability to acquire. It is much better for a good steward like the USA to retrieve these resources in a safer way rather than other countries such as China and India that have been notorious for abandoning sound pollution principles. Nuclear power has a proven track record of safe power production and I would implore the Senate to do everything in their power to open the door to the next generation of even safer nuclear power production and finally opening up the single repository for our spent fuel at Yucca Mountain. Our society will be much better off and our future generations will then be able to continue to witness marvels of nature as we blend environmental and sane land use policies. I consider myself a conservationist and have always ridden my bike to work, but removing the wonders of nature from my life due to gas cost is more than I can bear.
TOM, Kuna.
JEFF, Boise.
DONALD, Post Falls.
MATT.
ROBERT.
MIKE, Boise.
PAUL.
DOUGLAS, CHRISTINE AND COLLEEN, Emmett.
DENISE.
GARY, Nampa.
JAMES, Boise.
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