{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11809-2", "2000-12-15", 106, 2, null, null, "THE STEEP COST OF A MAINE WINTER", "SENATE", "SENATE", "ALLOTHER", "S11809", "S11810", "[{\"name\": \"Susan M. Collins\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Patrick J. Leahy\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "146 Cong. Rec. S11809", "Congressional Record, Volume 146 Issue 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]\n[Senate]\n[Pages S11809-S11810]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                    THE STEEP COST OF A MAINE WINTER\n\n  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on the importance\nof the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program known as LIHEAP in\nhelping low-income Maine families cope with the high cost of our long\nMaine winters.\n  As Callie Parker from Little Deer Isle, Maine, so eloquently\ntestified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions\nCommittee earlier this year, heating your home during a Maine winter is\na matter of life and death. When the cold reaches into the very marrow\nof one's bones, when a glass of water you left on a night stand freezes\nduring the night should your furnace go out, you simply cannot get by\nwithout heat.\n  Unfortunately, not everyone has enough money to buy the fuel\nnecessary to heat their home. Far too many Maine families have had to\nchoose whether to buy groceries or to pay their rent or mortgage or to\nkeep warm. These are choices that no one should be forced to make, but\nunless we increase funding for energy assistance now, these choices\nwill become increasingly common.\n  Winter has not even officially begun, although you would not know\nthat in the area of the country from which the Presiding Officer and I\ncome. The high price of fuel and cold temperatures have already driven\na record number of households in Maine to seek home heating assistance.\nAlready the Community Action Program agencies in Maine have identified\n28,000 households in need of LIHEAP funds to get through this winter.\nThat compares to only 10,000 applicants at this time last year; in\nother words, it has more than doubled the amount of households seeking\nthis kind of assistance. Another 19,000 families are waiting to be\nreviewed by the CAP agencies.\n\n[[Page S11810]]\n\n  The problem is, there is simply not sufficient money. As this chart\nshows, a Maine winter exacts a steep toll. Today, in Maine, a gallon of\nhome heating oil, on average, costs $1.56. Last year at this time, home\nheating oil in Maine went for $1.03 a gallon--and we thought that was\nvery high. That number is high because just two years ago the average\nprice of home heating oil in Maine was just 78 cents a gallon. In\nshort, home heating oil prices have increased by 100 percent in just\ntwo years. For the 75 percent of Mainers who rely on home heating oil\nto keep their homes warm, this is a steep price to pay indeed. Those\nheating their homes with natural gas also are facing difficulties.\nConsumer prices for natural gas have shot up over 50 percent compared\nto last year.\n  As the second column on this chart shows, last year Maine's CAP\nagencies distributed an average of $488 to each household. That was the\naverage LIHEAP benefit. Despite the rising costs of fuel, this year the\nMaine CAP agencies are able to distribute an average benefit of only\n$350.\n  So you see the situation we have, Mr. President, and see why it is\nsuch a problem. We have the price of home heating oil far higher than\nlast year, and more than double what it was two years ago. The high\ncost of fuel has put more strain on more families, and as a result many\nmore households need assistance. That has caused the average LIHEAP\nbenefit to be cut significantly.\n  What does this mean? When the price of oil is 50 percent higher than\nlast year, and the LIHEAP benefit is $138 less than last year, it means\nthat people are not able to buy very many gallons of oil to heat their\nhomes. Last year's LIHEAP benefit purchased 474 gallons of home heating\noil. This year's benefit will purchase less than half that amount--a\nmere 224 gallons of oil.\n  So we have the worst of all situations. We have the price of home\nheating oil at record highs; we have the benefit amount having to be\ncut to less than last year's; and the result is that low-income\nfamilies are able to purchase far less home heating oil.\n  And this year's winter is already shaping up to be colder than last\nyear's. Mainers will need more oil to keep warm this winter, not less.\nWhen the furnace remains silent no matter how far you turn the\nthermostat dial, we need to be there to put oil in the tank.\n  The bottom line is we need to provide more assistance to more\nfamilies.\n  The legislation before us today will provide an extra $300 million in\nLIHEAP assistance to be used this winter. And that is very helpful. It\nis almost a 30-percent increase above last year's funding level. I know\nhow hard Senator Specter and Senator Stevens have fought for this\nsignificant increase. I thank them for their efforts on behalf of the\nthousands of Maine residents who will benefit greatly from these much\nneeded funding increases. Yet it simply is not enough. With the price\nof fuel 50 percent higher this year than last, and with almost three\ntimes as many families in need of LIHEAP assistance this year compared\nto just 1 year ago, even a 30-percent increase will only go so far. It\nis certainly needed, and we are grateful for it, but we are still going\nto have a shortfall.\n  I am also concerned and disappointed that by placing the year 2002\nfunding for LIHEAP on the chopping block, the Clinton administration\nlacked the foresight to realize the obvious: This is not our Nation's\nlast winter. There will be another winter next year; I can guarantee\nit. We must lay the groundwork now to allow the planning to occur that\nwill ensure that people stay warm next year, too.\n  By eliminating the ``advance appropriation'' for LIHEAP for the next\nfiscal year, this appropriations bill has not laid any of the necessary\ngroundwork for next year's winter. That will contribute to a supply\ncrunch next fall, I fear.\n  I call on the President and the congressional leadership to make\nLIHEAP a top priority, not only this year but next year as well. I am\npleased to see and applaud the language that was included in the\nmanagers' statement pledging to fund LIHEAP in the next fiscal year at\nthis year's level or at a greater level. I would have preferred to see\na commitment for advance funding, but I know the conferees will keep\nthe commitment they have made.\n  Finally, I pledge my personal efforts to ensure that low-income\nfamilies in Maine and throughout the Nation stay warm through our long\nwinters.\n  I yield the floor.\n  Mr. President, seeing no one seeking recognition, I suggest the\nabsence of a quorum.\n  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.\n  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.\n  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for\nthe quorum call be rescinded.\n  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Inhofe). Without objection, it is so\nordered.\n  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, what is the parliamentary situation?\n  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont is informed we are in\na period of morning business with speakers not to exceed 5 minutes.\n  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I do not see others seeking the floor. I\nask unanimous consent I be allowed to speak for not to exceed 10\nminutes.\n  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11809-2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 6.9192140363156796, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}