News
Pickering’s Mississippi
E-Memo
Congressman Chip Pickering
Tuesday – August 12, 2008 -
#90
REPUBLICANS CONTINUE TO
WORK THROUGH AUGUST: House
Republicans have continued to fight
on the House Floor since the Democrat
Majority adjourned for their 5-week
vacation August 1st. Each day
Republicans are gathering on the
House floor to demand Speaker Pelosi
to immediately reconvene the House
and vote on the American Energy Act.
Where can you find the cheapest gas
in your area? Check
out this helpful site; updated daily,
it will tell you where to save at
the pump:
Cheapest
gas in the Jackson area (www.jacksongasprices.com)
Cheapest gas in Mississippi (www.mississippigasprices.com)
ENERGY FACTS:
· The
U.S. Geological Survey estimates
that about 100 billion barrels of
oil in-place resources, including
undiscovered oil, underlies the North
Slope of Alaska
· Of
the contiguous 48 states, 28 have
a coastal boundary. U.S. electric
use data show that these same states
use 78% of the nation’s electricity
· The
United States spends over 500 billion
dollars annually on energy
· Of
the 7.7 million households in the
United States that use heating oil
to heat their homes, 5.3 million
households or roughly 69% reside
in the Northeast region of the country
· Although
more than 70 percent of the natural
gas produced in the United States
already comes from wells at 5,000
feet or deeper, only 7 percent comes
from formations below 15,000 feet
· More
than 90 percent of the power plants
to be built in the next 20 years
will likely be fueled by natural
gas
DOE LAUNCHES
ENERGYSMART HOSPITALS: July
23, The U.S. Department of Energy
announced the launch of the EnergySmart
Hospitals initiative to increase
the use of energy efficient technologies
in hospitals across the United States. The
initiative has the potential to help
hospitals identify opportunities
to not only save millions in potential
energy costs, but also reduce carbon
dioxide emissions. Last year,
hospitals spent more than $5 billion
on energy costs with more than 2.5
times the energy intensity and carbon
dioxide emissions of commercial office
buildings. Unlike many other
commercial buildings, hospitals must
remain fully operational 24 hours
a day, seven days a week and provide
services during power outages, natural
disasters, and other events that
would force other facilities to close.
PICKERING INTRODUCES SUDDEN CARDIAC
ARREST RESOLUTION: Thursday,
July 24, Congressman Pickering along
with Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA),
introduced a concurrent resolution
designating October as National Sudden
Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Awareness Month
(HCON 393). The resolution
aims to raise awareness about the
risk of SCA, improve the public’s
ability to identify warning signs,
encourage individuals to seek medical
attention in a timely manner and
promote the need for further research
into the causes of this leading killer.
WAL-MART MAKES NATIONAL
COMMITMENT TO BUY LOCAL: Wal-Mart
stores in Mississippi are sourcing
fresh produce from local, in-state
farms. They have pledged to
increase their locally grown fruit
and vegetable selection:
- During FYE 2008, Wal-Mart spent
more than $553 million
in Mississippi for merchandise
and services with 760 suppliers. Wal-Mart
supports 29,908 supplier
jobs in the state
- Wal-Mart’s locally grown
produce sourced in Mississippi
includes: strawberries, corn,
watermelons, bell peppers, cucumbers,
yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant,
athena cantaloupes, tomatoes,
cabbage, watermelons, sweet potatoes,
greens, broccoli and sweet onions.
- Wal-Mart is expanding its locally
grown offerings in the state – and
this year Mississippi
grown sweet onions are
being sold in 47 stores compared
to zero last year.
PAUSE PARENT PLAY: Pause
Parent Play was created with the
goal of helping parents and caregivers
easily control what children watch,
hear and play. This campaign
is designed to empower parents and
caregivers by connecting them with
easy-to-use resources. Pause
Parent Play.org provides parents
a one-stop media shop. Covering
a range of topics from new movie
ratings and reviews to guides on
controlling TV and satellite radio
content, the site connects parents
and caregivers with both independent
and industry resources. To learn
more, visit the site below:
www.pauseparentplay.org
DTV TRANSITION: On
February 17, 2009, analog television
broadcasting will end for full-power
stations. After that date,
if you get TV broadcasts with an
antenna over the air, you will receive
only digital signals. This
does not mean you need to get a new
television set. There will
be converter boxes to change the
digital signal to one that analog
sets can receive. You may be
able to obtain up to two coupons
worth $40 each toward the purchase
of converter boxes. The program will
be run by the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration (NTIA),
a part of the U.S. Department of
Congress. For more information
on the digital conversion, including
information on a government coupon
program for converter boxes, please
see information below:
- Apply online at www.dtv2009.gov (Download
a coupon application here)
- Mail the coupon application
to:
PO BOX 2000
Portland, OR 97208-2000
- Fax the coupon application
to: 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-888-388-4632)
- Or, call the Coupon Program
24-hour hotline: 1-888-DTV-2009
(1-888-388-2009), TTY 1-877-530-2634
You can also visit www.dtvtransition.org for
more information.
CHIP
PICKERING ONLINE NEWS:
DOE
EnergySmart Hospitals (website)
Wal-Mart
State by State (website)
Pickering
Introduces Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Resolution (Release:
7/24)
House
GOP Real Energy Solutions (website)
Republicans
Debate in the Dark (Human
Events: 8/3)
No
State Is More United - Bio lab hearing (Clarion
Ledger: 8/6)
PICKERING STAFF:
Visit
www.house.gov/pickering/policy to
get office contact information.
SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE: Feel
free to forward this e-mail to
friends and colleagues. They
can subscribe at www.house.gov/pickering/Email.htm -
or - to unsubscribe, reply to this
e-mail with the word “unsubscribe” in
the subject line.
|