Getting an Education at $3.78 a Gallon

Op-Ed

Getting an Education at $3.78 a Gallon

Last Spring, at the end of the school year, fuel prices were nearing all time highs. Throughout the summer, families have had to deal with the high prices at the pump.

Now, students throughout Nebraska are returning to school, and the high cost of energy is hitting our communities in new ways. From elementary and secondary schools to community colleges and universities, schools at every level are grappling with high prices for fuel.

USA Today recently reported that schools already are bracing for energy troubles this fall and beyond, noting, "Fuel and energy costs are rising so quickly for the USA's public school districts that nearly one in seven is considering cutting back to four-day weeks this fall. One in four is considering limits on athletics and other extracurricular activities, and nearly one in three is eliminating teaching jobs."

As the North Platte Telegraph also reported, "School districts are also looking at ways to save money, as gas prices continue to shatter records. Anything outside of the actual classroom could fall prey to high gas prices, which includes athletic programs."

Gas prices have risen from an average of $2.33 per gallon since January 2007 to $3.78 per gallon today, while diesel prices - particularly important for school transportation purposes - have risen from $2.44 per gallon to $4.47 per gallon today.

The past three weeks, I have traveled from one end of the Third District to the other, and energy has not only been the number one issue, but it is the number two, three, four, and five issues as well. In the first days of August, I had the opportunity to participate in what has become known as "the shadow session" of Congress, in which 130 Members have spoken on the House floor to protest the lack of action on energy policy. I want to thank every Nebraskan who expressed their support for this action as well as their concerns over rising gas prices to me personally and through contacts to my office.

I plan on bringing these concerns to Washington with me. Now there is another avenue for parents, students, educators and anyone concerned with high gas prices to have their voices heard.

A web-based initiative has been launched focusing on high energy prices impacting the coming school year. Found at the House Education & Labor Committee's Republican website (http://republicans.edlabor.house.gov/energysurvey.shtml), this survey will gather input from school officials, teachers, and families to determine the extent of the energy crisis in our schools - input which will be provided to both parties this fall to encourage decisive action by Congress to increase production of American energy to lower fuel costs.

Specifically, I am calling for a vote on the American Energy Act (H.R. 6566), our "all of the above" plan to increase production of American energy, promote more conservation and efficiency, and encourage the use of more alternative and renewable fuels.

By asking Nebraskans and all Americans how the gas price crisis is impacting them, we want to make sure policy makers see the human impact of high gas prices. While America's families, small businesses, and seniors are feeling the crunch of high energy prices, they certainly are not alone.

This is a chance for parents, students, school officials, and taxpayers to tell Congress how the energy crunch is affecting them. The input gathered will give efforts to increase American energy production and reduce the pain at the pump school districts, parents and students are feeling.

We need to act on a comprehensive energy policy -- one that includes all sources of American energy from tapping into offshore oil reserves to research and development of alternative fuels -- as soon as possible. I will continue to call for a vote on such a proposal, and I urge all Nebraskans to join with me.

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