Youth Tour Students Report
Energy and environmental policies topped the list of issues on which participants in the 2009 Iowa Electric Cooperatives’ Youth Tour of Washington, D.C., questioned Iowa’s congressional delegation last month.
Amber Houston of Ft. Madison and Mallory Riffel of Burlington represented Access Energy Coop-erative and were two of 39 Iowa high school juniors and seniors, who participated in the event June 13-18. The Iowa students were joined by nearly 1,500 students from around the country for the annual tour.
All 39 Iowa students met as a group with Iowa Sens. Grassley and Harkin, in addition to breaking into groups to meet with the representative for each of their specific districts in the U.S. House of Representatives. Students asked the senators and representatives questions about taxes, Social Security, the economy, the environment, energy, legalization of controlled substances to raise revenue for the government and internships in Washington, D.C.
In addition to meeting with the members of Congress that serve them, students also had time to explore the memorials, monuments and other attractions of the nation’s capital during their visit.