Foster's Daily Democrat - Food and Fuel Go Hand-In-Hand for Ex-Governor: Shaheen Makes Campaign Visit at Rochester Eatery

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Foster's Daily Democrat - Food and Fuel Go Hand-In-Hand for Ex-Governor: Shaheen Makes Campaign Visit at Rochester Eatery
By: Jason G. Howe

Jeanne Shaheen has been a patron of Ron Frye's restaurants since well before she governed the state.

With her husband, Bill, and children, Shaheen was a regular at Jakes, and later at Ron's Place, both in Dover, so it was no surprise when she paid Frye and his customers a visit at Benedict's Grill Friday.

With a house salad on the way, Shaheen took a few pre-lunch moments to discuss sustenance of a different sort — fuel — and describing her short- and long-term plans for dealing with the fuel crisis faced by Granite Staters.

"People are being squeezed," Shaheen said, describing the common situation of higher heating fuel costs, rising gasoline prices and the resulting spike in the cost of living for N.H. families.

In the short term, Shaheen believes added regulation of the oil futures markets — trading exchanges where oil is purchased and sold by speculators and investors — will help rein in rising fuel costs.

By many estimates, such speculation has driven the cost of a gasoline up by at least $1 per gallon, as gas is purchased low and sold high by traders in London, Dubai and New York. Of the many exchanges, U.S. investors are only regulated in New York, leaving what she called "loopholes" for those who seek them out.

In effect, traders in London and Dubai don't have to abide by the same rules as those trading in New York.

"I think we need to close the loopholes," Shaheen stressed, adding that her adversary, Republican Sen. John Sununu, has repeatedly voted against regulating such exchanges.

Over the long term, Shaheen proposes shifting subsidies that are currently offered to oil companies toward renewable energy sources, such as wood pellets for home heating, biodiesel and tree-fiber ethanol, among others.

She estimates New Hampshire could produce and use up to 10 million gallons of diesel fuel in-state, keeping the source and revenues local. And shifting to wood-fired furnaces, or wood chip-fired electrical plants such as the one being tested by PSNH in Newington, will help both the local economy and the environment, she said.

"We need leadership in Washington to make that happen," she said.

Her remarks came one day after Republicans blocked a Democrat-led bill to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. While Democrats said the move would lower gas prices in the immediate future, Republicans — who successfully stalled the measure — decried it as shortsighted and insisted on adding language to expand offshore drilling to the measure. It was slated to be addressed again Friday.

In the Senate, Republicans were expected on Friday to defeat a Democratic call to resolve the stalled debate over a measure to curb excessive speculation in oil markets. Republicans have insisted they be allowed to offer amendments and have not been able to agree on the parameters of the debate with Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader.

Shaheen also added her condolences to families affected by the intense thunderstorms, tornadoes and microbursts that ravaged central N.H. Thursday.

Also in attendance were state Sen. Jackie Cilley, state Reps. Shawn Mickelonis, D-Rochester, and Rachel Burke, D-Farmington, along with Joan Ashwell, vice chairman of the Strafford County Democrats, and Mayor John Larochelle.

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