Sept. 18, 2005 - 16:23

CATERPILLAR

The days shorten, the nights lengthen, it's cooler in the evenings and it stays so longer in the mornings, in our higher elevations already our Quaking Aspens are beginning to smelt their luminous gold. The air is bracing and harvest time pends.

That's the good part.

Of course we are all choking on the rising price of gasoline. And I feel that we are sitting ducks on that alone. All it would take would be a peck of OPEC shenanigans to put gas out of reach for the rest of us.

Saturday an article dealing with Xcel bills. I think reflects a national trend as well. The article is by Gargi Chakrabarty of the Rocky Mountain News and I will put bits and pieces of the long article forth to give an idea of what gives. In part:

Xcel bills rising

Customers likely to see big winter increases as natural-gas prices jump.

"Coloradans will end up paying 49 percent more on their home heating bills in October, the first of what will likely be in creases all winter. The proposed increase for December ? Thirty-four percent."

"In a filing with state regulators late Friday, Xcel Energy -- Colorado's biggest utility -- attributed the spike in heating bills to limited natural gas supplies and higher prices. On top of that, there's the short term shock from Hurricane Katrina."

"It is going to be yet another difficult year for home heating prices in Colorado," said Mark Stutz, Xcel Energy spokesman. "We are feeling the effects of market conditions nationwide, the increased use of natural gas for electricity generation this summer, and the weather including Hurricane Katrina."

Unlike some other parts of the nation that are seeing as much as a 70 percent jump in heating bills this winter, Stutz said Xcel customers are somewhat protected because the utility buys most of its gas from Rocky Mountain producers."

"On Friday, the price of natural gas in the New York Mercantile Exchange for delivery in November was $11.83 per million Btu, in December was $12.47 and in January was $12.74. These futures prices are about $5 higher from a year ago."

The news is even more discouraging for low-income households that already are dealing with the blow of $3-a-gallon gasoline on their pocketbooks."

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The article mentions Energy Outreach Colorado - which helps low income households using money contributed by utilities, gas producers and individuals. It says it has a shortfall this of $4 million in its budget this year.

The article also mentions a federal program, Low-income Energy Assistance Program which also helps. It further says that Congress is discussing a supplemental LEAP budget that could increas Colorado's funding by another $19.2 million.

It goes on to say, "But if that bill doesn't pass, Coloradans will have to do with less assistance as more people seek it, said Glenn Coloper, program manager of Colorado 's Department of Human Services, which distributes the LEAP funds to needy customers." Cooper estimates at current budget levels, families will receive $300 in assistance, down from $366 last winter. About 96,000 got assistance last year and the department exspects 105,000 this year."

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I don't know about other folks besides some of my family but we had our thermostats set low and wore heavy clothing through last winter and gagged at our utility bills.

This year I expect that electricity bills will go up too because of fuel shortages and increased prices so possibly we won't be able to afford a tiny little personal electric heater either this winter.

Those who live with a surplus of cash and assets probably won't even notice things other than to gripe a bit now and then.

But to those of us on limited incomes, gasoline, fuel oil and natural gas necessary usage will eat a great amount of our incomes and leave little for other necessities.

So if a person wants to know if e are going to have a hard winter, no need to go looking for a Wooly CATERPILLAR

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