With winter coming, many are concerned about the U.S. being plunged into a heating and energy crisis as the price of oil is high and inflation continues to plague the economy. Now the Biden administration is facing pressure from the northeast as the region is already bracing itself for winter.
Bloomberg reported that the price of heating oil on the East coast is already high, Connecticut sellers are actually rationing oil supplies, and that “New England’s stockpiles of diesel and heating oil … are a third of normal levels.”
“It’s going to be pretty bad. Diesel, heating oil and natural gas prices are through the roof. When you’re on a fixed salary, how does it impact your overall budget? It has to be bad,” Marcus McGregor, head of commodities research at Conning Inc., told Bloomberg.
Particularly with the northeast facing an energy crisis, Bloomberg reported that even “[a]Â Massachusetts-based utility is imploring President Joe Biden to prepare emergency measures to prevent a gas shortage.”
The Energy Information Administration has already predicted that the average household expenditure for natural gas this winter (October through March) will be 28 percent more than last year, with a household paying a base average of $930.
If the winter turns out to be 10 percent colder than last year, the price of natural gas could go up to $1,096 (a 51 percent increase from last winter) per household, the EIA outlined.
Meanwhile, the EIA measured the base price average for heating oil at $2,354 per household (a 27 percent increase from last year). If the winter is 10 percent colder, that could go up to $2,605 (a 40 percent increase).
Propane is predicted to have a 5 percent base increase, costing $1,668 per household, and a possible 36 percent increase if the winter is 10 percent colder, which would drive the cost to $2,157 per household.
In light of this, many have been waiting for the Biden administration to react and find ways to ease the pressure on Americans this winter.
On Nov. 2, the Biden administration announced that the Department of Health and Human Services that there would be an overall $4.5 billion poured into aid to lower heating costs this winter.
“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announced $4.5 billion in assistance today to help lower heating costs for American families this winter. Today’s announcement is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to lower costs and give working and middle-class American families more breathing room,” the HHS press release announced.
That aid is more specifically allocated for low-income families, the HHS announcement explained.
“The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds — distributed by ACF’s Office of Community Services — will go to states, territories and tribes. In addition to subsidizing home heating costs this winter and covering unpaid utility bills, the federal program will help families make cost-effective home energy repairs to lower their heating and cooling bills,” the HHS press release read.
The Biden administration also released 15 million barrels of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve in mid-October, PBS News reported.
However, in the midst of American worries about heating prices this winter, the Biden administration has also spent 2022 increasing oil exports to Europe as the Ukraine-Russia war has also seriously strained Europe’s energy supply and Europeans are also facing a hard and expensive winter.
The EIA reported in September that “U.S. petroleum product exports increased in the first half of 2022 by 11 percent (596,000 b/d) compared with the first half of 2021 — the fastest growth rate for that time period since 2017.”
With all this in consideration and after Bloomberg’s particular reporting on how the northeast U.S. is already facing energy problems, many have been criticizing the Biden administration and commenting on the crisis that seems doomed to worsen in the coming months.
“Elections have consequences,” Mick Mulvaney, former director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget under the Trump administration, tweeted.
Elections have consequences. https://t.co/mofqRgRBMI
— Mick Mulvaney (@MickMulvaney) November 7, 2022
“The US Northeast Is Hurtling Toward a Winter Heating Crisis You can thank Biden for this!” another Twitter user posted.
The US Northeast Is Hurtling Toward a Winter Heating Crisis
You can thank Biden for this! https://t.co/XLsd63A8xz— Nevada Nails ?? (@gelnails2012) November 7, 2022
“Hey media, why don’t you tell us who did this? Repeat after me: Biden and the Democrats. It’s called reporting the facts and truth,” radio personality Mark Levin tweeted.
Hey media, why don’t you tell us who did this? Repeat after me: Biden and the Democrats. It’s called reporting the facts and truth.https://t.co/Sn3mZuaGwI
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) November 7, 2022
The administration has not yet taken any further steps (aside from taking from the oil reserves and spending $4.5 billion for LIHEAP funds) to confront the high oil prices as the U.S. prepares for an expensive winter.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
