[Vision2020] Fw: IDAHOANS ON ENERGY: RUNNING ON EMPTY

[lfalen]

-----Original message-----

From: "Crapo News Release (Crapo)" newsclips at crapo.senate.gov
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:58:14 -0700
To: 
Subject: IDAHOANS ON ENERGY:  RUNNING ON EMPTY

FOR RELEASE 	                    	CONTACT:           Susan Wheeler
(202) 224-5150
Week of June 29, 2008	                          Laura Thurston Goodroe
(202) 224-7500

		IDAHOANS ON ENERGY:  RUNNING ON EMPTY
	Guest opinion submitted by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo

 "Please listen to the less vocal majority who are pleading for
drastically decreasing the restrictions and regulations on drilling and
refining our domestic oil."  

"Who is going to pay back the tax payers when this [global warming] is
proven to be a political sham?"
					
"Instead of the U.S. depending on foreign oil, why not make the rest of
the world dependent on U.S. company patents for whatever ultimately
replaces petroleum as the leading energy technology?"
					
"Our problems as usual are the result of allowing political expediency
to make bad policy."
					
"It [lack of development of U.S. natural energy resources] has made life
much tougher for those of us who aren't depending on the public to take
care of us.   Shame on all of you."
					
"Grandma and Grandpa do not come visit us anymore but maybe once every 6
months. They used to come once a month. Our fun outings into the country
for enjoyment and to get away from the hectic busy pace of our lives,
they simply do not happen anymore."

"I am so very frustrated with the US Congress. They are inept! They
argue instead of taking action. Whenever a good bill comes up they tag
it with riders full of wasteful spending."

These are a few of the sentiments I have received from Idahoans since I
asked them in mid-June to email me their stories and comments on the
high cost of gasoline and fuel.  As of June 20, I had received over
1,000 emails about the difficulties Idahoans are facing as a result of
high gasoline costs.  What I've also heard was not unexpected-a vision
for what we need to do to supply our own energy needs to the greatest
extent possible.  This vision includes drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and offshore, and developing alternative and
sustainable energy options including a strong emphasis on nuclear
energy, geothermal, wind, solar, hydro and the promise of biofuels.
Idahoans have also voiced support for increased conservation efforts
and, facing the reality of current high fuel costs, are engaging in
personal conservation efforts, which are responsible and important in
the long run regardless of energy costs.  

We live in the most prosperous and free nation in the world; with that
comes a responsibility to be generous and charitable.  However, this
prosperity has come through hard work and dedication to the ideals of
private property, capitalism and free markets.  We have earned and must
fiercely protect the freedom to enjoy the fruits of our labor.  One way
to do this is by developing domestic energy resources.  We can regain
control over energy costs in a distinctly American way-innovation and
robust development that treads carefully when it comes to the
environment, but refrains from onerous regulations or tax burdens on
corporations that would, as we saw in the 1970s, translate into
increased consumer costs.  

When people make decisions about not seeing grandparents or
grandchildren because of high cost of fuel, it's distressing.  When an
increasing number of parents curtail their own food consumption to make
sure their children have enough to eat, it's downright ominous.  While
it's true that families make these types of decisions in the United
States every day, if the occurrence of this is exacerbated by
out-of-control energy costs, Congress has abdicated its responsibility
to Americans.  As one Idahoan put it last week, shame on us.  

The time is long overdue to change course on this public policy issue.
Thank you for writing to me, and continue to send me your stories at
energystories at crapo.senate.gov.

WORD COUNT:  590
  
To link directly to this news release, please go to:
http://crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/release_full.cfm?id=299692&&

........................................................................
...............
This is generated from an unattended mailbox.  If you have constituent
comments or information you would like forwarded to Senator Crapo,
please do so at the Senator's website, http://crapo.senate.gov.
Comments sent to this e-mail address will not be responded to.
-------------- next part --------------
An embedded message was scrubbed...
From: "Crapo News Release (Crapo)" <newsclips at crapo.senate.gov>
Subject: IDAHOANS ON ENERGY:  RUNNING ON EMPTY
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:58:14 -0400
Size: 6388
Url: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20080625/fc98a038/attachment.mht