<DIV>Rep. Trail,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks for the response. But I do not believe that the state government is powerless to act. The first thing they can do is put pressure on the federal government. We have two US Senators, two members of the House and a Governor. They are suppose to be responsive to the people of Idaho, and their elected Representatives.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Second, I am sure the Attorney General can come up with something to investigate against the oil companies, some tax breaks that can be taken away. Price fixing is another I can think of off the top of my head. The content of gasoline being correct.If need be, sue them for the air pollution and medical costs caused by their unsafe product. Oil companies are not saints, so there is bound to be a law or two they have infringed upon. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Third, sales tax on fuel can be taken away or reduce. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If the state of Idaho
doesn't have the power to prevent its residents from going broke and sinking into a deep devastating recession from the clutches of a handful or greedy corrupted business tycoons, then perhaps it can demand that the Federal Government give them to power. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>There is something wrong going on here. These companies are making trillions in profit while many Idahoans are going broke and millions around the world are starving. Something MUST be done.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Best Regards,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Donovan<BR><BR><B><I>Tom Trail <ttrail@moscow.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"> <STYLE type=text/css><!-- blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li { padding-top: 0 ; padding-bottom: 0 } --></STYLE> <DIV>Donovan--To a great extent the State has limited power as compared to</DIV> <DIV>Federal Gov't in order to do something about the
exploitation by the</DIV> <DIV>oil companies. I remember that we asked the Attorney General on several</DIV> <DIV>occasions to investigate the high cost of gas in Idaho. In both cases he</DIV> <DIV>found no cause to cite anyone and simply said it appeared that market forces</DIV> <DIV>were working.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>I know this type of reply will not make anyone happy, but in reality it is</DIV> <DIV>the Feds who have much more power to assist. One thing they could do is</DIV> <DIV>require the oil commodity traders to put up 100% of their bids in cash when</DIV> <DIV>they attend the commodity auctions. Currently you are only required to put</DIV> <DIV>up 40% so this encourages wild speculation and we get hit with the high</DIV> <DIV>price at the tank.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Rep. Tom Trail</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">Rep. Trail,</BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite=""
type="cite"> </BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">What are you and the Idaho State Legislature doing about the exploitation by the oil companies of Idahoans?</BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"> </BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">Some suggestions, if the phone industry is considered a vital utility and heavily regulated by the government, why doesn't it view "fuel" also as an vital industry that needs to be regulated? Surely, fuel needs to be more regulated than a phone line, which I haven't needed since 2003.</BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"> </BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">Best Regards,</BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"> </BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">Donovan <BR><BR><I><B>ttrail@moscow.com</B></I> wrote:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE>Here is some up-to-date information concerning biofuel trends.<BR><BR><BR><BR>Rep. Tom
Trail<BR><BR><BR>---------------------------------------------------------------------<SPAN></SPAN>-----------<BR><BR>Biofuel Production Soars, Despite Concerns<BR><BR><BR>Dustin Doskocil/flickr<BR><BR>Global biofuel production grew 20% in 2007. The U.S. and Brazil now produce<BR>95% of the world's ethanol, and Germany leads in biodiesel production. But<BR>is this good news? Recent scientific studies and rising food prices have<BR>provoked international debate about the role that biofuels should play in<BR>our energy system over the coming years. Read on for a concise analysis of<BR>the most important biofuels trends.<BR><BR>Read:<BR><BR>Vital Signs Update: Despite Obstacles, Biofuels Continue Surge<BR>Biofuels for Transport<BR><BR><BR><BR>---------------------------------------------------------------------<SPAN></SPAN>-----------<BR><BR>Eye on Earth: Population, Agriculture, Conservation<BR><BR>Worldwatch Vice President Robert Engelman honors Earth Day by reflecting
on<BR>our unease with population debates and by discussing his new book, More.<BR><BR><BR>Ben Block explores new, hi-tech ways of conserving species on the<BR>biologically diverse island of Madagascar. He also reports on the recent<BR>call by an international panel of agricultural experts for an end to<BR>environmentally destructive farming methods.<BR><BR>Read:<BR><BR>As Earth Day Arrives, Population Still the Uneasy Issue<BR>Conservationists Map Madagascar's Exotic Wildlife<BR>International Commission Calls for 'Paradigm Shift' in Agriculture<BR><BR><BR><BR>---------------------------------------------<BR>This message was sent by First Step Internet.<BR>http://www.fsr.com/<BR><BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet,<BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since
1994.<BR>http://www.fsr.net<BR>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><BR></BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"> </BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"> <HR SIZE=1> </BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. <A href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ"><SPAN></SPAN>Try it now.</A></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><X-SIGSEP><PRE>-- </PRE></X-SIGSEP> <DIV>Dr. Tom Trail<BR>International Trails<BR>1375 Mt. View Rd.<BR>Moscow, Id. 83843<BR>Tel: (208) 882-6077<BR>Fax: (208) 882-0896<BR>e mail ttrail@moscow.com</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><p> 
<hr size=1>Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ "> Try it now.</a>