Long Johns, Anyone?

WASHINGTON - Winter heating bills will be a third to a half higher for most families across the country, with the sharpest increases expected for those who heat with natural gas, the Energy Department forecast Wednesday.

The department said natural gas users can expect to pay an average of $350 more during the upcoming winter compared to last year, an increase of 48 percent. Those who heat their homes with fuel oil will pay $378 more, or 32 percent higher than last winter.

Propane users can expect a percentage jump in their bills similar to those of fuel oil users.

In its winter fuels outlooks report, DOE's Energy Information Administration assumed a normal winter and steady progress in restoring oil and natural gas production and refinery output from the damage inflicted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"Should colder weather prevail, expenditures will be significantly higher," the EIA said.

I was reading this as the radio was telling me that it's already snowing in Colorado.

The National Weather Service, a still-functioning part of our federal government, is predicting a warmer than normal winter for much of the Midwest and the Northwest. That's reassuring. But anecdotal evidence and recent price increases suggest that we may be lucky to see increases as small as the DOE is predicting.

All in all, it seems like it would be a good time to make sure the program that provides financial support for heating costs to poor old ladies in northern states is in good shape. Wasn't somebody just talking about that?

The energy assistance program helps low-income families, primarily the elderly and disabled, pay utility bills - about one-third of the total bill, on average. The money is disbursed through block grants to the states.

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said last week that additional money was "not on the agenda." However, department spokesman Craig Stevens said Monday, "I think it's an option on the table."

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., says the program's impact is diminishing because funding has not kept up with rising fuel prices.

Kerry unsuccessfully tried to attach an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill last week that called for increasing funding to $5.1 billion.