by Ken NewtonHome in Tarkio, Northwest Missouri Congressman Sam Graves drives a Chevrolet pickup truck. When he fills the gas tank, it costs about $70.

When his family’s farm operation recently got its seasonal supply of fuel for field vehicles, Mr. Graves said his father “nearly had a heart attack” on seeing the price.

Those revelations came from the host of Wednesday night’s town-hall teleconference on energy issues. Questioners of Mr. Graves added their concerns on climbing pump prices and the commitment of America’s government to viable energy alternatives.

A spokesman for Graves’ office said 4,004 people from throughout the 6th District dialed into the call at various points.

Mr. Graves, a fourth-term Republican, made his most passionate argument with regard to a 50-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax increase proposed by Michigan Democrat John Dingell. (This measure is included in legislation aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.) The Northwest Missouri lawmaker called it “this stupid gas tax proposal,” later adding, “Dingell was way off target.”

The congressman warmed to the idea of alternative energy sources, particularly ethanol, biodiesel and wind power that have made a mark in his 6th District. In response to one question about excessive energy expenditures in the production of corn-based ethanol, Mr. Graves discounted it as a bogus claim spread by big oil companies. He then offered a detailed explanation of the production of ethanol and associated by-products, including distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a valuable source of nutrition in animal feed, and industrial-grade alcohol.

When oil companies resist, say, a 10 percent ethanol blend, Mr. Graves said, “that’s 10 percent off of their market share.”

Along with the oil companies, Mr. Graves also had few good things to say about the environmental lobby, which he blamed for curtailing oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and for pushing back against the use of coal, which is plentiful in the United States.

“We have resources,” he said, “we just need to access them.”

Full Story:http://www.sjnp.net/news/2008/apr/10/high-fuel-costs-hit-congressmen-too/