Throw another couple hundreds on the fire.
As temperatures plunge and winter approaches, Americans are being hit with soaring home heating costs. The average household can expect to spend $207 more this year to keep warm — a 28% surge that is far outpacing the overall inflation rate.
And in the chilly New England states, it will cost $600 more this winter to heat a home with oil than it did last year.
In September, Congress topped off Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding by adding an additional $1 billion, meaning that about $4.8 billion in aid will be available. But that’s down considerably from the $8 billion in funding during the pandemic.
The U.S. Energy Department also has about one million barrels of home heating oil on reserve in case of emergency, but it has only been tapped to calm markets following disruptions, not to bring down high prices.
“The longer the time goes on, the more the price goes up,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said last month. “That’s what we’re facing in America today with energy.”
Manchin’s energy permitting reform legislation would get domestic sources flowing again. Sign on to show your support.
