Thursday January 29, 2009
Share Your Energy Stories
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All of us know that Idaho families, like so many Americans, are being hit hard by sky-high gasoline, diesel and energy prices. The driving distances between places in our state as well as limited public transportation options mean that many of us don’t have any choice but to keep driving and paying those ever-increasing prices for fuel. The United States is too dependent on petroleum for our energy. And we are far too dependent on foreign sources of that petroleum. We urgently need to expand our own domestic production of petroleum and need to significantly diversify our energy sources.
That's why I fought to prevent an estimated 53-cent jump in gas prices that would have resulted from the climate change legislation recently debated in the U.S. Senate; some estimates pegged the gas price increase as high as 140%. It is why I support legislation to fully utilize proven American oil and natural gas reserves in a way that preserves the environment for future generations. And it is why I strongly support policies that will take further and full advantage of nuclear energy technologies, wind and solar power, and effective renewable and alternative fuels. As a member of the Senate Renewable and Energy Efficiency Caucus, I also want to see conservation efforts expanded and recognized. We have to put policies in place that will put us on a path toward clean energy independence through a combination of enhanced domestic production, expanded refinery capacity, renewable and alternative energy sources, nuclear power, conservation and others.
Yet, day after day, energy prices continue to rise higher without Congress taking any serious action that will result in reduced energy dependence of fossil fuels or provide financial relief for those hit by the recently-skyrocketing prices.
So I am asking for your help. I'd like to share your stories about the impact that high gas and energy prices are having on your lives. It is important that my colleagues in the Senate better understand how real people in Idaho are coping with these escalating costs. Idahoans cannot ignore rising gasoline prices, and your stories could help convince federal lawmakers to stop ignoring this crisis.
If you'd be willing to share your story, please take a few minutes to send me an e-mail at energy_prices@crapo.senate.gov with a paragraph or two about how you and/or your family are affected by high energy prices. It would also be worthwhile for you to share the priorities that you think Congress should set in resolving this crisis—increased domestic oil production, expanded nuclear energy research, incentives for conservation, whatever you want to share. Please include your name, address, and a phone number where my office can reach you if I have any questions. The stories you send me will be shared in various ways--on the floor of the U.S. Senate with other Senators, on my website and possibly other avenues to make sure that hard-working Americans like those in Idaho are not forgotten in this debate. Your personal information, other than your first name and hometown, will be kept confidential and will not be made available in any format in which I share the stories. To read some of the stories that have been shared, please click here.
This year alone, the average American family will spend more than $200 a month on gasoline. That's about $50 more each month than last year, and for all the driving we do in Idaho, everyone is feeling the pinch, and the cost is likely to be even higher than the $200 estimated for the average American.
Congress should not be sitting on the sidelines while Idahoans are paying the price at the pump, and I hope together we can spur some real action on this issue. Thanks for your help.
To learn more about my views on various energy issues, please visit the Energy Issues section on this site, which covers conservation, nuclear energy, renewables and alternative energy, as well as related energy issues.
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