Are We on the Verge of a Potential Heating Crisis?
FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine (WAGM) -
As the weather gets colder, many Mainer’s are concerned about what will happen to heating fuel prices this winter.
“Of course, anybody who lives in Aroostook County, they know that it’s winter, we have to worry about heat.”
George Montee, a citizen of Fort Fairfield, is very concerned, not only about current heating fuel prices, but also what might happen to future prices through the winter.
“And what really had me concerned was they’re talking about a shortage of propane…When people don’t have shelter, adequate shelter, or heat, a warm environment, there’s death, there’s hypothermia, there’s carbon monoxide poisoning because they’re trying to heat with unsafe sources.”, says Montee
According to Dan Burgess, Director of the Govenor’s Energy Office, the cost of heating oil and other fuels has indeed been on the rise, due in part to the pandemic.
“The Energy Information Association, they recently put out a Winter Energy Outlook, which shows that the global prices of fossil fuels are indeed rising. As the economy around the world begins to pick up, the supplies of oil and gas and others, have not kept pace. We saw as a result of the pandemic, prices go down to some historic lows, so what were beginning to see now is the price get back to pre-pandemic levels”, says Burgess
Senator Susan Collins says is very concerned about the cost of heating rising, and the impact it will have on Mainer’s this winter.
“We’ve seen enormous increases in the past few months, and the projections are that home heating oil and propane in particular are going to continue to soar in price. It is imperative that the administration do more to increase production in this country, rather than try and discourage production…but this has the makings of a real crisis for a lot of lower income familys and seniors. They should not have to choose between putting food on the table, or buying essential medicines and keeping warm this winter.”, Sen. Susan Collins – (R) Maine
Senator Collins went on to say that heating assistance is available to Mainer’s that need it, and announced yesterday that the state of Maine was awarded over 35 million dollars through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program which provides funding to help low income households pay their energy bills, and that she hopes the Biden administration will release supplies from Strategic Oil Reserve to provide relief to oil prices this winter.
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