Anxiety about staying warm this winter spreads

Record high heating oil, natural gas projected; people already seeking aid

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Homeowners already pinched by high food and gas prices have grown increasingly anxious about staying warm this winter.

At state assistance offices and at community organizations, phones are ringing off the hook as people seek help with what are expected to be punishing heating bills. Legislators and governors from Alaska to Maine are watching the gap between surging need in their states, and assistance that may or may not be coming from Washington.


Aid agencies fear they may have to turn more people away, or give less cash assistance to individual families.

“People are very worried about this winter,” said Ann Heidenreich, executive director of the nonprofit Community Energy Services in Canton, N.Y. “We’re not going to deal with all that needs to be done, there’s no way. We’re going to have to deal with emergencies this winter.”

AP