S30 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 6, 2009 

me wonder who is funding these groups to 

keep our hand tied. The short term fix is to 

use the oil that we are setting on while we 

work on the research and development required to assist or solve the long term problem. 

DAVID. 

Senator, I could sit here and gripe about 

the high energy costs. However, I regard the 

problem as a collective problem, not something one sector or another of the economy 

has done. We are all aware of how the costs 

are spiraling out of control, and there are 

things we can all do to mitigate the pinch in 

our wallet. Every one of us is guilty to varying degrees. Consider the following: 

First, each of us needs to be a lot more 

concerned with conserving. We can all make 

one trip instead of three to the store. We can 

carpool. We can reduce some of our recreational activities to use less fuel getting 

there and while there. Turn off the lights. 

Use the energy efficient light bulbs. Use 

mass transit. The list goes on and on. 

Second, Congress has got to work out a 

balanced approach to energy availability. 

Hydro power is still the most efficient, but 

has been hogtied by the environmentalists 

who not only do not want new power production, and even want to remove power production that is in place. Nuclear power has been 

similarly placed into the nether land of total 

environmental disfavor. The record of these 

two sources is not perfect, but they are not 

guilty of producing greenhouse gasses and 

making the Arabs richer and richer either. 

They have a place in our infrastructure, and 

Congress needs to make it happen before we 

give away all our wealth to Islamic radicals 

and Communists. Begin a plan to reduce and 

eliminate foreign import of oil, then make it 

stick. 

Third, Congress needs to greatly improve 

incentives for domestic production of oil. 

Use the oil shale resources we have all over 

the country. Allow drilling in areas where 

the likelihood of new fields is good, with a 

great deal of care nevertheless. Use clean 

coal production methods for power. 

Fourth, Congress should tax the windfall 

profits of the oil companies. Use that money 

for refunds to vehicle owners and taxpayers. 

There is no excuse on God’s green earth for 

an oil company to make more profits in a fiscal quarter than the GNP of 80% of the 

world’s nations in a year. 

O.K. I have run out of time, but not ideas. 

I just wanted you to know we are all in this 

together, and either we solve it together, or 

the mess will get worse and worse. All of you 

in Congress need to quit quibbling and do 

something. 

LON. 

I appreciate the opportunity of letting you 

know of how the high costs of fuel/energy are 

impacting me. 

I feel lucky—I have a good job and make 

above average pay. However, I am at a point 

in my life when I need to be able to save for 

retirement. My wife and I have raised our 

children and have recently been able to start 

saving for retirement. With the current 

prices of fuel, we are not able to save as 

needed to ensure that we will have the required funds to retire. 

I have discussed the high price of fuel with 

several contract workers. They are not planning any type of vacation travel and, in most 

cases, are fearful of the future. Most are not 

even sure that they will be able to take care 

of their necessities if prices continue to skyrocket. 

There is a business here in Idaho Falls that 

purchases plasma. I watched a news report 

detailing how busy they currently are. Many 

who are selling their plasma are doing it just 

to make ends meet. The place is so busy that 

they are turning people away. 

I worry about my own children. The future 

is bleak. Never in my life have we had such 

a dim outlook—not in America. 

It is time for drilling (in an environmentally safe way). It is time for nuclear 

power to come out of the closet. We need to 

quit letting the environmentalists run this 

great country. I am an avid outdoors man. I 

love Idaho. I live here for the beauty and activities related to the outdoors. I have faith 

that we can fix the problems and move forward. I do not believe that we have to ruin 

the outdoors to make things right. 

Thanks for your help 

DAVID. 

When BEA was granted contract of Idaho 

National Laboratory, [the lab director] held 

a meeting and asked what they could do to 

improve the INL. My reply was to better inform the public about nuclear energy and the 

benefits. During these trying times we are 

facing, and the extremes of the future, we 

must have extreme plans to counteract. The 

only solution is to minimize our use of natural resources. How do we do this? Every 

structure, school, home, office, storehouse, 

etc. shall be converted to electricity derived 

from nuclear power generating facilities. All 

of the natural resources shall be reserved for 

transportation and emergency needs. No 

longer can the government not be in direct 

competition with private affairs. When it is 

for the better of the people then it is the 

right thing to do. Nuclear energy is the only 

solution. We need to inform the public and 

gain support for a cleaner more efficient future. I am excited to be involved with any 

help I can provide with this matter. 

ROY. 

I am a hospice nurse and my patients rely 

on me to make home visits so they can have 

the care they need and deserve at the end of 

their lives. Without this service, many dying 

patients would have uncontrolled syptoms 

and unable to get to the doctor. Driving distances are great for me as I [care for] people 

in outlying areas, sometimes averaging 50– 

100 miles a day to see everyone. This cost in 

fuel is very hard to manage and at times 

nearly forces me to feel like returning to the 

hospital rather than providing this much 

needed service due to cost prohibitiveness of 

my work from fuel cost. 

f 

CHERYL, Boise. 

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS 

TRIBUTE TO BISHOP JOHN 

MCRAITH 

∑ Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, it is 

with great admiration and respect that 

I take this time to recognize one of 

Kentucky’s most distinguished citizens, Roman Catholic Bishop John 

McRaith, who retired as the third 

Bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro. 

Bishop McRaith’s service over the 

last 26 years in the Diocese of 

Owensboro—which consists of 32 counties with 79 parishes, 3 high schools, 2 

middle schools and 13 elementary 

schools—has made him a legacy in the 

community. 

In addition to being a large diocese, 

Owensboro Diocese is one of the more 

diverse dioceses—home to a large number of Hispanic Catholic immigrants, 

along with a priesthood that recruits 

men from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The work done by Bishop McRaith 

and the priests at Owensboro Diocese 

has increased church attendance to levels that are considered among the highest in the Nation. 

Bishop McRaith has left his community a better place because of the authenticity and kindness of his services 

and faith. While I am sad to see him retire, I am comforted knowing that 

those who learned from him will continue the good work that he displayed 

each day. On behalf of all of those who 

are part of the Owensboro Diocese, I 

thank Bishop John McRaith for the 

grace and strength he brought to western Kentucky.

f 

∑ 

TRIBUTE TO HARRIET CORNELL 

∑ Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am 

proud to congratulate the Honorable 

Harriet Cornell on her historic selection as chair of the Rockland County 

Legislature for a fifth consecutive 

year. Harriet is the first chair of the 

legislature to hold the office for 5 consecutive years. 

Harriet Cornell has been a member of 

the Rockland County Legislature since 

1984. In her first year of office, Mrs. 

Cornell founded the Legislature’s Commission on Women’s Issues and invited 

community leaders to participate in 

the formulation of public policy. She is 

also the chair of the Eleanor Roosevelt 

Legacy Committee. 

Her long record of accomplishments 

led the Journal News naming her as 

one of 25 people who made the greatest 

impact on Rockland County during the 

20th century. As chairwoman, Mrs. 

Cornell’s priorities have included protection of our environment, enhanced 

educational resources, improved health 

services for women and children, homeland security, Rockland’s transportation infrastructure, and smart land 

use planning. Under her leadership, she 

has brought together elected officials 

from every level of government in 

Summit meetings to collaborate on 

these issues. 

I commend Mrs. Cornell for her many 

years of devoted public service to the 

citizens of Rockland County.

f 

∑ 

MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE 

At 6:09 p.m., a message from the 

House of Representatives, delivered by 

Mrs. Cole, one of its reading clerks, announced that the House agreed to the 

following resolutions: 

H. Res. 1. Resolution that Lorraine C. Miller of the State of Texas, be, and is hereby, 

chosen Clerk of the House of Representatives; That Wilson S. Livingood of the Commonwealth of Virginia, be, and is hereby, 

chosen Sergeant at Arms of the House of 

Representatives; That Daniel P. Beard of the 

State of Maryland be, and is hereby, chosen 

Chief Administrative Officer of the House of 

Representatives; and That Father Daniel P. 

Coughlin of the State of Illinois, be, and is 

hereby, chosen Chaplain of the House of Representatives. 

H. Res. 2. Resolution notifying the Senate 

that a quorum of the House of Representatives has assembled; that NANCY PELOSI, a 


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