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| Letters to the EditorSaturday, August 30, 2008 12:01 AM CDT |
Alternatives needed to hold down energy costs
As a farmer, we recognize the value of corn-based ethanol to expand our supplies of renewable domestic energy. If it weren't for billions of gallons of ethanol to stretch our motor fuel supply, Americans would be paying another 60 cents per gallon at the pump. But we also recognize that it's going to take more than ethanol or soy biodiesel to get a handle on the rising energy costs that threaten my ability to make a living and the consumer's ability to fuel their cars, buy their food, and pay their bills. One of our concerns is the price of natural gas, which will affect many of us within the next couple of months. Natural gas prices are expected to average nearly $12 per thousand cubic feet this year. Residential electric rates went up 5 percent nationally this year and will go up another 10 percent on average next year. That's why Livingston and McLean County Farm Bureaus are calling on our elected officials to take decisive action to address rising energy costs when they return to Washington next month. More than ever, we need an energy policy that speeds up the development of energy resources anywhere in the United States. We need to decrease the demand for natural gas by increasing incentives for clean coal technology in electric power generation. And we need further development of alternative energy sources. Join us in our call to action on energy. Please call your congressman or senator today. Scott Hoeft Rural Bloomington Dennis Haab Rural Forrest The writers are, respectively, presidents of the McLean County and Livingston County farm bureaus. |
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