Working to Lower Home Heating Costs
In 2008, in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, President Obama warned Americans that under his policies for energy, "electricity rates will necessarily skyrocket." President Obama's proclamation is coming true. Millions of Americans, including families in our Eighth District, are suffering from one of the coldest winters in recent memory - and in some cases, the most expensive. This week the House of Representatives took action to help families and individuals who are struggling with high heating costs this winter.
About half of American households heat their homes with natural gas. If this includes your family, you know that prices are up by as much as 45% this year. This week the House passed the Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development (RAPID) Act to expedite federal approval of construction projects, including energy and natural gas infrastructure. In some cases the federal permitting and environmental regulations can add 5 to 7 years to the process for licensing and finally constructing new power plants. The RAPID Act will help cut through the red tape so new power plants can be built more quickly and families can see lower utility costs.
Nearly 84% of our congressional district relies on coal-fired power plants to generate the power they need to heat their homes and businesses. Proposed coal regulations threaten to further increase utility costs for families and individuals who rely on power generated from burning coal. This week the House passed the Electricity Security and Affordability Act to protect coal-fired power plants from excessive EPA regulations.
Folks in Missouri who rely on propane to heat their homes are seeing heating bills more than triple in cost. In January I wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking for a full review of the conditions that have led to propane cost spikes. Shortages in the supply of propane and the resulting cost spikes are still causing a real hardship for families, farmers, rural school districts, senior citizens on fixed incomes and small business owners who rely on propane to heat their homes and businesses. Additionally, the House took action this week by passing the Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through Transportation Act of 2014 to make it easier to transport propane to areas of the country experiencing a shortage.
The winter of 2013-2014 has been one of the coldest in recent memory. Across the country and right here in our Eighth Congressional District, communities have experienced record low temperatures and high amounts of snow and ice. To make matters worse, Washington bureaucrats keep piling on new regulations that increase home heating costs. Just this year the EPA announced proposed regulations on wood-burning stoves that many people in our district rely on for cheap and effective heat. I plan to fight this intrusive and ineffective new regulation. The House of Representatives remains committed to reducing energy costs for families and individuals who are struggling to make ends meet.
EIGHTH ANNUAL CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT ART CONTEST
The Congressional Art Contest is a great way to recognize talented high school students in our Eighth Congressional District. In addition to being recognized locally, the winner of the contest will also be invited to Washington D.C. to attend a recognition ceremony and see their art displayed on Capitol Hill. We hope to have participation from schools across our district. I encourage anyone who is interested in participating in the contest to contact my office.
Entrees must be submitted to one of Smith's offices by Friday, April 25th. Artwork can be dropped off at:
- Cape Girardeau Office: 2502 Tanner Drive, Suite 205, Cape Girardeau, MO 63703, 573-335-0101
- Farmington Office: 22 East Columbia Street, Farmington, MO 63640, 573-756-9755
- Poplar Bluff Office: 2911 North Westwood Blvd., Suite C, Poplar Bluff, MO 63907, 573-778-6679
- Rolla Office: 830A South Bishop, Rolla, MO 65401, Rolla, MO 573-364-2455
- West Plains Office: 35 Court Square, Suite 300, West Plains, MO 417-255-1515
For more information, students may contact Leslie Herbst at 573-335-0101 or email leslie.herbst@mail.house.gov. In addition, student can get more information by visiting: http://www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/
THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS
It was great to be at Montauk State Park last weekend for the opening day of Trout Season! Despite the cold temperatures, a large crowd of anglers turned out for the event!
I had the pleasure of welcoming Missouri VFW Members to my Washington office on Tuesday for their National Legislative Committee meeting! Our veterans deserve our unwavering respect and gratitude.
I had a great morning Friday delivering books from the Library of Congress Surplus Books Program to the Salem Public Library. This is a tremendous program that allows Members of Congress to donate extra books from the Library of Congress to local libraries across the country. If your library would like to be part of the program, please call Kelle in my Washington office at 202-225-4404.
