By JOSH O'GORMAN, Rutland Herald Staff
June 11, 2008
WASHINGTON ?Çö U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., fielded questions on everything from hybrid cars to fuel oil pre-buys during a telephone town hall meeting Tuesday night.
During the meeting, Welch listened to callers' stories and fielded questions on energy ?Çö specifically the rising costs of gas and heating oil ?Çö from his office in Washington.
The telephone town meeting was an extension of Welch's Congress in Your Community events around the state, during which he will set up a card table in front of a local business and speak with residents, said Welch spokesman Andrew Savage.
Callers dialed a toll-free number and entered a code to listen in to the meeting, and residents who wished to address Welch directly entered a second code to connect with a staff member who put the caller in a queue.
Callers were identified by their first names and hometowns as they addressed Welch.
Tina from Brandon asked Welch what Congress could do to lower the price of hybrid automobiles.
"The average Vermonter is making $8 to $10 an hour and can't afford a hybrid," Tina said.
Welch said the subsidies being offered to oil companies should instead be offered to auto makers to defray the cost of hybrid car manufacturing.
Monty from Morrisville asked what the government could do to encourage more energy-efficient technology.
"We were getting 40 miles per gallon from cars back in the 1970s and we can hardly match that today," Monty said. "If we can put a rover on Mars that can run for months without a charge, why can't we make more fuel-efficient cars?"
"We have an upside-down energy policy," Welch said, again noting that instead of subsidizing oil companies the government should subsidize the makers of emerging energy-efficient technologies.
James from Poultney asked why Congress hasn't created legislation to put limits on oil speculation.
"There's limits on every other commodity being traded. Why doesn't the Security and Exchange commission shut it down?"
"Without a doubt, energy speculation is driving up the price of oil," Welch said. "That's why I'm sponsoring legislation to restore regulations so that the price reflects demand and not speculation."
Welch was not the only one fielding questions Tuesday night. Sean Cota, president and co-owner of Cota & Cota Inc., was also on-hand to answer questions.
"Right now, $2 from every gallon is going right to Wall Street, not to drilling," Cota said.
Ernest from Bolton Valley asked about the possibility of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a way to ease our dependence on foreign oil.
"If we allowed Bush to go into ANWR eight years ago, would we be in this position today?" Ernest asked.
Welch said that a congressional study has shown that it would take 10 years for drilling in ANWR to have any results, and the projected savings would only be a few pennies and not until 2030.
Right now, Welch said, oil companies have leases to drill on public lands they are not using.
"We're behind the curve here," Welch said. "We need an energy policy that is affordable for everyone and obviously oil is not the way to go."
In addition to fielding questions, Welch also directed callers to information to help them be more efficient in their energy use ?Çö such as home weatherization ?Çö and energy assistance programs that are available, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Links for this information, as well as links to the Vermont Transit Association and Vermont Park and Ride, are available on Welch's Web site at www.welch.house.gov.
Blair Hamilton, executive director of Efficiency Vermont, also took part in the meeting and he urged people to visit his Web site for energy-saving advice at www.efficiencyvermont.com.
After nearly an hour, Welch concluded the meeting by thanking the more than 4,000 people who had called in and the several hundred who had queued up to ask questions.
"The main concern I have is the one I've been hearing tonight: How are Vermonters going to heat their homes in the here and now?" Welch asked.
Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com.