Idahoans Speak Out on High Energy Prices
Floor Speech
IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH ENERGY PRICES -- (Senate - August 01, 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: I am a firm believer that Americans need to find alternatives to foreign oil and reliance on fossil fuels. But, instead of more domestic production, I believe Americans need to diversify in their approach, and not simply rely on alternative places to find oil and fossil fuels. Instead, the focus should be upon ingenuity, for example instead of water producing electricity, why not windmills, or wind energy? I grew up seeing fields of windmills on drives from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. Also, Boise is one of the most bicycle friendly cities, although you'd never know it by commuting on our poor streets that have completely ineffective bicycle commuting lanes. Instead of oil and gasoline, encourage people to bike to work by offering an expanded commuter tax credit. And, we have absolutely NO public transportation system. Why not focus on a systematic expansion of public transportation? As for home electricity and the like, why not an expanded tax credit on ``going green?'' I learned about the energy certification for your home when my family was building our new house, but it costs almost $3,000 to get your home tested to qualify for the tax credit, which is not worth it. Plus, energy efficient appliances and technology generally costs more. Why isn't such technology more cost effective? Why are we not encouraged to do more? If green technology costs more, in order to encourage its use and mainstream applications, there has to be financial encouragement to install it in order to offset the high up-front costs. As for transportation, this summer, I cannot afford to buy a new car, even though I am a solid middle class citizen. Food prices have skyrocketed for my family, I have to pay for daycare for the summer, and I own a 10-year-old gas guzzling SUV, which is probably not worth much on a trade in anymore what with the high gas prices. But I live only 2 miles from work. The lack of public transportation has forced me to consider a different alternative, and that is biking to work. I am lucky because my employer (the federal government, by the way) is required to provide lockers and shower facilities on site, so I can bike in, shower, and go to work. I have encouraged my children to join me, and they are biking with me to summer camp as well. Unfortunately, this is the first summer I have been able to do this, because transporting my children to daycare was just about impossible without a car before this. Yet, most other nations have alternative transportation, and a totally different day care system, and because cycling is the norm it is much safer. I think the problem is deeper than just gas or oil prices. It is our own selfishness that has gotten us here, because we have never been forced to consider the alternatives. I hope that a comprehensive approach to this problem will be focused on, instead of just a quick financial fix for segments of the population. It is hurting us all. And until Congress and our nation focuses on the more widespread issues, our approach to everyday life won't change. Because it is not just energy costs ..... it is more than that, and God forbid Congress forgets about the other problems, such as health care, child care, education, affordable housing, and the lack of appropriate services for those that are now falling behind because wages cannot keep up. -- As a kid, Congress said they were solving an `energy-crisis,' and by the time I could drive, cars would get 100 mpg, jet-packs would be available by 1975, there would be a resort at ``LunaCity'' on the Moon by 1980, Mars by 1990, and Alpha Centauri by 2000. Today, Congress says they are `solving' an `energy-crisis,' and if I just `believe' in them, I will be `delivered' from the valleys of shadows and death. Please note, Mr. Karzai's diversion of cross-border Pakistani Talibani `marauding-hoards,' and the House of Saud's past-due promises to pump more oil, while Congress spins their wheels-in-wheels-in-wheels of deceptions, is not `solving' anything. Use of strategic reserves at this critical juncture is probably not a wise move, although I wish for the Clinton days of $0.89 cent/gal diesel. Your entire branch of government is completely out of control. THAT is the solution. -- I have 4 teenage boys that are big and are growing fast. The increased energy costs have significantly increased the cost of almost all goods. Most noticeably, our food bill has nearly doubled since the first of the year. We are desperately looking for any means to economize. Although I am able to ride my bike to work and have taken several steps to minimize our fuel bills, we are feeling the crunch of increased petroleum costs. We have aging parents that are in need of more of our attention. Unfortunately, our parents are over 400 miles away, so it costs us over $180 dollars to make the trip to see them and to try to help them take care of their homes and properties. It makes sense to me that the rising cost of fuel would affect our economy. My salary is not increasing, and with the cost of goods and fuel increasing, we are only able to make ends meet by not buying other things. This trend would seem to hurt other businesses that are depending on people like me to be buying their goods. I am an Electrical Engineer and I am very disturbed over the push to skip nuclear power and move solely to renewable energy. The wind and solar power options available today will not meet our energy needs. Unfortunately, our country was behind in providing the needed supply of energy when the recent acceleration in energy costs began. I do believe that renewable technologies like wind and solar can play an important role in meeting future energy needs, but I think we need to provide a plan that sees these technologies mature and become less expensive through manufacturing advances. I believe we need to develop nuclear and clean-burning coal as stop-gap measures to allow the renewable technologies to advance to the point where they are more cost effective. If we try to move strictly to renewable energy sources, I am concerned that we will face energy shortages, or will further reduce consumer spending power by having to put our money in the more expensive renewable energy sources. -- This is one subject I completely agree with you on. The U.S. Congress has to act to allow drilling where we know we have oil reserves. The stupidest statement I have ever heard from Congress, which I have recently heard repeatedly, is that we cannot solve our energy crisis by drilling. That is about like saying we cannot solve a food shortage by planting more crops! Last month I spent over $760 on gasoline and my wife spent several hundred [dollars] also. We do not have the option of using public transportation and we need larger vehicles on our farms. As a farmer, while currently enjoying good prices, we are seeing a big chunk of the increased income eaten up in fuel costs. If crop prices were to return to ``normal'' levels, it would devastate Idaho farms. Thanks for your help on this important issue. -- Honestly, I do not want to tell a story about how I am affected by high energy prices--it is obvious. I think the last thing we need is to talk about it more. The ways to lower prices are out there and the Congress knows it. Just get it done. Just as communism caused us to fight with all our American might at home and around the world to preserve our nation, so also must we view our nation's energy as a cause worth pursuing with all our sweat and synapses. If not, our nation will lose the strength, the hope, the dream that has raised so many generations of Americans before. Please, please do not talk anymore. Do something. You should receive many reply emails. Several will have great ideas (wind, solar, hydrogen, nuclear, oil). Pick the ideas with the most promise and encourage their production and then stay out of those geniuses' way and watch what the American people can do. -- Too many people have this backwards. Most agree there is a limited amount of oil we can get. We need to save our reserves and use up the foreign oil first. Then when the foreign oil is nearly used up we will still have some to aid in the transition to other sources or energy. Save our oil and use up foreign oil first. The last one standing with some oil wins. -- I am an Idaho Farmer. I have been deeply concerned about the prices of fuel in Idaho. The price of fuel has affected the cost of almost every aspect of farming from fertilizer to chemicals, tires, etc. The list goes on and on. The price of labor has all gone up because people cannot afford to work for less. My generation might be the last generation of farmers in Idaho. I personally have two sons and have encouraged them to find another way to make a living because the cost of starting up and the cost of farming are too prohibitive. There is no way that they can make it with the price of fuels. I guess my story is that the family farm is on its way out of Idaho. The families of America hold this nation together. If you break up the family, the United States will break as well. I guess the only way to get Congress to do anything is to wait for their stomachs to growl. Otherwise, if you eat you are involved in farming. No farms--no food! -- First, thank you for some leadership on this issue. I will be brief. My family and I just completed an auto trip to Montana and back. Fuel costs were averaging $4.05/gallon of regular. The costs of travel will have a significant effect on my family's recreation this year. We also have a small airplane and AV gas is now $6.30 in our area meaning it now costs $63.00 per hour just in fuel costs to fly the airplane my family and I have enjoyed for years. Unfortunately at these prices our boating costs have risen considerably. Grocery costs have risen. Freight costs are going up along with the airfares for the airlines. The selling price for my airplane and boat if I were to sell them are going down. Many families are selling their RVs because they just cannot afford to recreate like they used to. Finally I have just retired after 31 years in my company. I have a small pension and have had to cut drastically on my anticipated lifestyle already. I had planned to teach flying lessons as a part-time job but the marketability of flight instruction may very well be priced out of the range of many prospective students. I feel that the government and Congress have had since 1972 to get a grip on this problem and have done nothing except band-aid and pass the buck. We need to get real, drill whenever and wherever we need to immediately and reverse our current bad policy on nuclear energy. We cannot remain forever relying on petroleum but we need cogent policies to help us get to the next best thing for our energy needs. We also need to put a cap on the speculating by the commodity traders that are driving up the prices daily. And, although I hate to say it, maybe we need to regulate a few more of those items that affect us working people so much on a daily basis, like utilities, phone service, cable costs and fuel. -- Thank you for providing this forum to express my views about energy prices in our fine state, their impact, and solutions. I unequivocally believe that our present asset-depleting condition is a direct result of 30-plus years of disastrous, foolhardy legislation from Congress that has made it impossible for America's brilliant innovators to make us energy independent. Yes, the price of gas is leading my family to really think about every trip in the car, but I do not want a band-aid government solution to replace the free market. The following is what I believe is critical to our national security, as well as comfort at the pump: (1) Deregulate and allow drilling in all its forms everywhere, right now! Admit to decades of failed, self-destructive policy and move on. (2) Encourage, through generous incentives, the building of refineries everywhere, right now! (3) Remove all legislative obstacles to the building of nuclear plants and encourage, through generous incentives, their construction everywhere, right now! Senator, what is frightening and of tremendous concern for myself and many citizens, perhaps yourself as well, is our global competitors, friend and foe alike, are rapidly growing and tapping into their own energy sources, nuclear and petroleum, and America has become weak and dependent. It is sickening and dangerous. This must be reversed, immediately! Congress needs to remember that American interests, both short and long-term, must at all times be placed above those of other countries or the so-called ``international community.'' There is no one else on the globe looking out for us. Senator, you need to do it. Thank you for your excellent work on behalf of your constituents. -- My husband and I live in the country outside of Rexburg and have to drive almost ten miles to get to town. My husband is a full-time college student and works part-time. I also have a part-time job and it is a struggle to fill up our gas tanks every few weeks. Gas prices are shooting up but our incomes are as small as ever. My father is a farmer and has tractors, trucks, and other machinery to fuel. He has no choice. He needs those machines to do his work, but it is just so expensive. Something needs to be done about the cost of fuel and energy and it needs to be done now! We need to stop relying on other countries to fuel our cars. We need to start using more alternative fuel and energy sources. We have the means but do we have the motivation? I hope so. -- You are correct regarding the adverse affect that the rising cost of fuel has on the lives of all Americans including the citizens of Idaho. We must drill for oil on American soil and pump from the wells we have capped, mine clean coal in Utah and elsewhere, use wind for energy where it pays, create more fuel efficient engines, engineer better batteries for electric cars, make affordable solar power options available where possible ..... and thank God for the clean source of power we get from our hydro-electric dams. We are a nation that was blessed by God with an abundance of natural resources. However, if we don't develop them and use what we have been provided with, and yet continue to complain, we are fools. The cost of fuel is showing its effect on our small business in that orders are down and costs are up. It now costs double what it did two years ago to get to and from work, purchase some of our materials, and pick up those materials from our suppliers. We have tried not to pass the rising cost of shipping on to our customers as it is already high and keeps some people from purchasing our product. Therefore, we take a cut in our normal profit and that means less money in our pockets to spend on other products and services that we would like to have and use locally. I work in town and there is absolutely no public transportation available in this area. It is a small town in the mountains of Idaho and I drive seven miles each way to work every day. Many workers must drive ten to twenty miles each way and it is eating into their family budgets. Now the price of fuel is taking its toll on food costs. Prices are getting ridiculously high and I cannot imagine trying to feed a family these days. I believe in less government. But there is something wrong with these high fuel costs; they are unjustified and the government does need to get to the bottom of it and put a stop to it now. The last thing that should be done is to put a higher tax on our fuel and energy costs. The people who suffer the most from this problem are our elderly population (and disabled) who are on fixed incomes. Now they must choose whether to fill the oil tank (pay the electric bill) or to eat ..... we have gone sadly astray from the United States of America in which I grew up, and we had better get back to our roots of belief and our Constitution. I believe in helping others and it is a fact that Americans are the most generous citizens on earth, giving to others even in other nations freely on a regular basis; no nation on earth gives more. However, as a country we must stop sending money to other countries in the world that have problems or disasters and start taking care of our own problems, infrastructure, and disasters. I do not believe in socialism, but we should provide for our elderly who provided for us. I am sick of seeing our government pledge billions of dollars of taxpayer money to countries that hate us. It is wrong and foolish. ..... We have got a mess on our hands. Our Congress and Senate need to stand up for what is right ..... and protect and defend the U.S. Constitution as they swore to do. Quit being swayed by interest groups, and money. Stand for what is good for our Country not what is good for their pocketbook. We need some men and women with character and honor ..... I hope you will be a man of character and honor and serve this nation as is needed. May God bless and help you in this fight.
KIRSTEN.
CLAYTON, Priest River.
GENE.
KEITH, Blackfoot.
JOSH, Idaho Falls.
CARL.
LORN.
MIKE, Pocatello.
MICHAEL, Post Falls.
REGENCY, Rexburg.
MRS. KENNETH.
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