Heating oil may be the clearest warning yet of how the war in Iran is deepening the US’s energy affordability crisis.
uncertain
war → deepen → crisis
Families who heat their homes with oil are facing bills that could be 50% higher this winter, adding nearly $900 to the cost of keeping their homes warm.
uncertain
that → heat → homes
These families were already struggling before the war began.
asserted
war → struggle → ?
As the Guardian recently reported, research by my organization found that electricity shutoffs in 10 states had increased 28% over the past two years.
asserted
shutoffs → report → years
Millions of Americans were already falling behind on their utility bills, forced to choose between paying for energy, food, medicine and rent.
asserted
Millions → fall → energy
Now they face another round of increases in gasoline, electricity and home heating costs.
asserted
they → face → costs
The war didn’t create America’s energy affordability crisis.
asserted
war → create → crisis
But it is making a bad situation much worse.
asserted
situation → make → ?
For families living on social security, minimum-wage workers and others with little room in their budgets, higher energy prices are taking an especially heavy toll.
asserted
prices → live → toll
Even middle-class families are struggling to absorb another $100 or $150 a month for gasoline, groceries and home heating.
asserted
families → struggle → gasoline
Heating oil and diesel are essentially the same petroleum product, and both have been hit hard by the disruption to global energy markets.
asserted
both → hit → markets
Higher diesel prices increase the cost of moving food, delivering goods and operating farms and construction equipment.
asserted
prices → increase → farms
Those costs eventually find their way into the prices families pay.
asserted
families → find → prices
But for the millions of households that rely on heating oil, the impact is much more immediate.
asserted
impact → rely → oil
Unlike gasoline, which families can sometimes conserve by driving less, heating oil is essential for keeping homes warm.
asserted
oil → conserve → homes
Families cannot simply stop filling their tanks when prices rise.
asserted
prices → stop → tanks
Trump described higher oil prices resulting from the war as “a very small price to pay for USA, and world, safety and peace”.
asserted
Trump → describe → safety
The president has also said that fuel prices will fall “like a rock” when the war ends.
asserted
war → say → rock
I hope he is right.
asserted
he → hope → ?
Even if the war ended tomorrow, energy prices would not necessarily return to their previous levels.
asserted
prices → end → levels
Damaged refineries need repairs, shipping routes must reopen, and depleted petroleum inventories need to be replenished.
asserted
inventories → need → repairs
That could take months.
uncertain
That → take → months
Families cannot postpone paying their heating bills while the oil market recovers.
asserted
market → postpone → bills
Congress needs to act when it returns after the midterm elections and before winter arrives.
asserted
winter → need → elections
We are calling on lawmakers to add $3bn to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (Liheap), which helps low-income families pay their heating bills.
asserted
families → call → bills
This would allow states to provide families with supplemental assistance to cover rising heating oil and electricity prices before the start of the winter heating season.
asserted
states → allow → season
The problem extends beyond the poorest families.
asserted
problem → extend → families
Many working families earn too much to qualify for assistance but still struggle to pay their energy bills.
asserted
families → work → bills
Congress should consider temporarily expanding eligibility for Liheap to struggling middle class families, with additional funding to ensure that assistance to the lowest-income households is not reduced.
asserted
assistance → consider → households
A recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports found that more than a quarter of all families reported reduced the heating and cooling in their homes to uncomfortable levels to save money and 19% cutback on groceries or switched to less expensive food options.
asserted
quarter → conduct → options
Without additional energy assistance, families will fall further behind, and some will face the possibility of losing heat during the coldest months of the year.
asserted
some → fall → year
But Congress also needs to address the larger problem.
asserted
Congress → need → problem
For too long, we’ve measured America’s energy security by how much oil and natural gas we produce.
asserted
we → measure → oil
Yet producing more energy at home hasn’t protected the US families from price shocks caused by wars overseas.
asserted
producing → produce → wars
We need to think about energy security differently.
asserted
We → need → security
That means expanding energy sources, including wind and solar, whose fuel costs cannot be driven up by a war.
asserted
costs → mean → war
Right now, millions of families are heading into winter facing energy bills they cannot afford.
asserted
they → head → bills
At some point, the war in Iran will end, but the affordability crisis will not end with it.
asserted
crisis → end → it
Washington needs to help families get through this winter and make sure the next war thousands of miles away doesn’t once again determine whether they can afford to heat their homes.
asserted
they → need → homes
Mark Wolfe is an energy economist and serves as the executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (Neada) representing the state directors of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the co-director of the Center on Energy Poverty and Climate (CEPC).
asserted
Wolfe → serve → Poverty
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
