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Rep. Simpson addresses energy issues during Chamber luncheon |
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Thursday, 14 August 2008 |
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By Daniel Iverson BLACKFOOT – U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson from Idaho’s 2nd District spoke to a crowd at the Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon at Stan’s Restaurant on Wednesday primarily about the current energy crisis.
National security is the biggest concern of depending increasingly on foreign oil, said Simpson. “We are subject to the whims of others,” he said. According to the congressman, the United States buys $700 billion worth of oil annually, and the money is going to “countries that don’t like us.”
The Republican solution, Simpson said, is “all of the above” — using all of the country’s available resources to solve the problem. “We need a full and open debate on this,” he said. “Every arrow in the quiver ought to be used.”
Those arrows include drilling the Outer Continental Shelf and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, extracting oil from shale, increasing nuclear power, and further researching new technologies. But some congressional Democrats, such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, are blocking progress of the “all of the above” solution.
Simpson continued by discussing the dilemma of state gas taxes, saying greater fuel efficiency from motor vehicles is a benefit to individuals and the environment but means the state receives less revenue from gas taxes needed to preserve infrastructure. Simpson said infrastructure is a “benefit of ancestors who had great foresight,” referring to former President Dwight Eisenhower’s support of the interstate system.
Simpson said complaining about government is the American way, and although he does it too, “Every day when I go to work I’m amazed the system works. We take ourselves for granted far too often.”
A question-and-answer session followed the congressman’s speech, during which audience members asked follow-up questions about energy and the Iraq war. Simpson said he visited Iraq three weeks ago and was surprised by the progress its government was making. He said the men and women in the military “deserve all the credit we can give them,” to which the audience applauded.
A former resident of Blackfoot, Simpson was a member of the City Council and local dentist before he was elected to his current position. During August he spends time among constituents from District 2. Simpson said the period used to be called August recess, but so far he is working harder than he does in Washington.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 15 August 2008 )
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