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The City of Auburn and its cooperative partners started a pilot program this year, allowing 400 households to purchase heating oil under the government’s contract. The residents who opt in will lock into a much lower rate, and in turn, agree to purchase a thousand gallons of heating oil. Auburn and its partners usually purchase more than one million gallons of heating oil each year and, like other towns and cities, try to lock in a low price in the spring. Councilors decided to let residents in on the deal, hoping that the increased buying power would help both residents and the cities lock in a cheaper price.
This seems like a rational approach to the outrageously high cost of heating oil, and a way to help low income residents and those on fixed incomes breathe a little easier as winter approaches.
We hope Bath and other midcoast towns will consider the same sort of cooperative for our neck of the woods. As gasoline rises to near $4 per gallon, we can take measures to control how much and how far we drive. We can take the bus in town; we can carpool; we can combine errands; we can take the train for longer trips; we can make sure our cars are well tuned.
However, the steps residents must take to use less heating oil are far more onerous and expensive. While the Coastal Journal recommends winterizing to save energy, the reality is that the cost of basic winterizing may be beyond the reach of those with modest incomes or fixed incomes.
Last year, the LIHEAP program would have been able to provide onlly about 180 gallons of oil for needy Mainers. The Keep Maine Warm fund provided additional money, which helped enormously. But this year, with state spending cut drastically, the options for low income or fixed income citizens are bleak. The cost of fuel is expected to be even higher this year.
Therefore, the Coastal Journal strongly urges city councils and town selectmen across the midcoast to consider inviting residents to join their towns’ contracts. It may not be a panacea, but it is at least one more option for residents already hurting from the high costs of energy.
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