OP-ED: Keeping Warm This Winter

The following is an op-ed from State Senator Katherine Clark:

Fall is a beautiful time in Massachusetts, with the cool, crisp air and gorgeous foliage signaling the change in seasons all New Englanders love. But the chilly nights also remind us that winter weather is on its way. As we prepare for the winter months, it’s time to start thinking about our energy and home heating needs. Unfortunately, this winter is shaping up to be a more expensive one for Massachusetts families – at a time when many households can least afford it. 

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently released its annual outlook for winter energy prices, and it projects higher average fuel bills this year for heating oil, propane, and natural gas.  In particular, the EIA expects home heating oil prices to be significantly higher than last year (on the order of 10%), averaging $3.71 per gallon this winter, which is 33 cents per gallon more than last year and the highest average price on record (for a winter season).  For households heating primarily with oil, that represents an average increase of almost $200 this winter.  While nationally only about 6 percent of families depend on heating oil, the Northeast states account for about 80 percent of these households.  So these significant increases will affect Massachusetts families disproportionately.

Each winter, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides fuel assistance to low-income families and individuals.  LIHEAP is funded by an annual appropriation made by the United States Congress, and any delay in getting that legislation passed results in a postponement of the program – and with it, Massachusetts’s portion of the funding.  In this difficult economy, more of our neighbors are struggling to pay heating bills and increasingly rely on this critical program. They simply can’t afford any delays into November or even December. 

I sponsored a successful amendment to a recent supplemental budget to help our most vulnerable populations get access to fuel now. The amendment will provide the up-front funding to help low-income elders, working families and other households purchase heating oil, natural gas, electricity and other primary or secondary heating sources. As a result, the state will cover the funds to the Massachusetts fuel assistance program until the federal funds become available.  Once the federal government appropriates the funding, Massachusetts will be able to begin repaying itself, and the advancement will ultimately cost the state nothing.  

LIHEAP funds are dispersed to low-income residents through local fuel assistance agencies, several of which operate in our district area. This change will ensure that these agencies can begin their operations by November 1st.  If you need assistance, please contact one of these community providers: the Tri-City Community Action Program (Tri-CAP) serves residents of Malden, Melrose, Stoneham and others by providing fuel assistance between November and April each year; residents of Lynnfield and Wakefield are eligible to receive assistance from Lynn Economic Opportunity, Inc. (LEO); and residents of Reading can contact the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council.

If you and your family are struggling with heating bills this winter and need more information about available resources, please contact my office at 617-722-1206. Together we will work to ensure that we all have a safe, warm, New England winter.