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☆ Continuing resolutions are a silly way to run a government, but we do it every year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

October 1 has been the official kickoff date for the federal fiscal year since 1977. Lawmakers have passed at least one continuing resolution in all but three of the years in the nearly half-century since. Instead, they will wrap the spending bills into larger packages – frequently called an “omnibus” that is passed in December or later. In 1997, for instance, there was no CR, but the spending bills were all passed together as an omnibus. Don’t hold your breath for them to get the 2025 spending bills done on time.

Persons: ”, Joe Biden, haven’t, Maya MacGuineas, CNN’s Tami Luhby, arrearages, Biden, What’s, Mike Johnson Organizations: CNN, CRs, Journalists, Senate, Lawmakers, Congressional Research Service, GAO, Federal, WIC, Budget, Low Income, Energy Assistance, National Energy Assistance, Association, Partnership for Public Service, Democratic, Capitol Hill, Agriculture, FDA, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy, Water, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing, Urban Development, Defense, Financial Services, General Government, Homeland Security, Labor, Health, Human Services, Foreign Locations: Washington, State

☆ Winter expected to be costlier for those who heat with oil. But natural gas heat users will finally get a break.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —After several years of skyrocketing winter heating costs, millions of Americans are expected to finally get a little relief this coming season — if they heat their homes with natural gas, that is. “This is the first year many families will get a break,” said Mark Wolfe, the association’s executive director, referring to the projected drop in natural gas heating costs. Electricity, which is the second most common source of heat, is projected to cost an average of $1,374, up 1.2%. The federal Energy Information Administration is expected to release its winter heating cost outlook next month. Home heating is still priceyAmericans are gearing up for the winter heating season just as rising gas prices have strained their finances.

Persons: walloped, ”, Mark Wolfe, ” Wolfe, Wolfe, “, Monette Ferguson, Ferguson Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Energy Assistance, Association, federal Energy Information Administration, “, Low Income, Energy Assistance, Senate, Alliance for Community Empowerment Locations: New York, Russia, Saudi Arabia, New England, Connecticut

☆ Texans are staying inside during record heat — and the state's economy could take a $9.5 billion hit from reduced business
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Eliza Relman | Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In Texas, that could mean a $9.5 billion hit to the state's GDP if the extreme heat continues. As extreme heat grips much of the US this summer and the Earth records its hottest month on record, people are staying inside. Pardue told Insider he was surprised at the magnitude of the decline in hours worked as a result of extreme heat. "And then we're seeing, long term, this opposite shift, where during the summer, there's all this extreme heat." Are you staying home or working fewer hours because of extreme heat?

Persons: —, Luke Pardue, Pardue, we've, Ray Perryman, Jonathan Horowitz, Andreas Flouris Organizations: Service, Workers, Wall Street, Buffalo Bayou Brewing, Nationwide, The National Energy Assistance, Association, Research, University of Thessaly, New York Times, Nature Conservancy, Phoenix, Louisiana Department of Health, erelman Locations: Texas, Houston, Greece, Arizona, New Orleans

☆ We can’t air-condition our way out of America’s heat crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Extreme heat in the summer has become America’s brutal new reality. It would also include building code changes that require multi-family homes provide cooling the same way they do heating. Heat waves and mirage create an impressionistic scene on Sierra Highway during a scorching day on Saturday, July 15, 2023. Cities are warmer than their surrounding areas, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, and they need to be better designed to keep people cool, researchers say. They were designed 40 years ago when summer temperatures were much cooler,” Mark Wolfe said.

Persons: haven’t, ”, Mark Wolfe, hasn’t, ” Wolfe, Myung J, Chun, Rushad Nanavatty, National Weather Service hasn’t, Kelly Turner, “, Turner Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Energy Assistance, ’ Association, Southland, Los Angeles Times, RMI, Cool Coalition, United, US Department of Energy, Centers for Disease Control, Low Income, Energy Assistance, nonpayment, LIHEAP, CDC, National Weather Service, Solutions, UCLA, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, United Nations, Washington, DC, Arizona, Maricopa, Yuma, York City, Miami, Dade County

☆ Amazon is inundated with shoppers desperately trying to cool off
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

On Amazon, sales of air conditioners increased 248% during the 30 days ending July 14, according to data from Jungle Scout, a data and analytics platform for Amazon sellers. Searches on Amazon for “single room AC units” and “portable misting fans” also spiked triple digits during the period, according to Jungle Scout. On Wednesday morning, a sun shade for car windshields was listed as the best-selling product on Amazon’s automotive page. In the Northeast, where the wildfire smoke was worst, air purifier sales jumped 119% in June. The cost of home energy bills this summer will increase by 11.7% to an average of $578, up from $517 last summer, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

Persons: ”, windshields Organizations: New, New York CNN, Scout, National Energy Assistance, Association, Louisiana — Locations: New York, United States, East Coast, Circana, Texas, Louisiana

☆ Heat wave puts small businesses under pressure as temperatures – and bills – keep climbing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Heat waves are hitting individuals and small businesses the hardest, reports say. The record heat is bad for the finances as well as the health of the most vulnerable. While grids appear to be coping with extra demand from the heat wave afflicting tens of millions of Americans, some small businesses and residents are under extra pressure. California, Arizona, and Texas have hit temperatures well above that level this summer. According to data from the association, domestic energy bills will jump almost 12% this summer to an average of $578, up from $517.

Persons: we're, Karen Swearingen, Greg Abbott, Mark Wolfe Organizations: Service, Reliability, of Texas, NBC DFW, Burger, Street Journal, Gov, University of Roehampton, National Energy Assistance, Association Locations: California , Arizona, Texas, Europe, Houston, England . California , Arizona, Phoenix , Arizona

☆ Power shutoffs: Sweltering Americans have fewer protections this summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Despite the growing concern of heat-related illnesses and climate change, people have far fewer protections from power shutoffs during the summer than they do in the winter. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, has about $6 billion in funds for fiscal 2023, which runs through September. The association is calling on Congress to provide an additional $3 billion for cooling assistance this summer, which would help about 6 million households. And it is asking utilities to voluntarily suspend shutoffs this summer for those behind on their bills. Florida Power & Light, for instance, has a longstanding policy that it won’t disconnect customers if it’s 95 degrees or higher.

Persons: David Konisky, ”, Konisky, Mark Wolfe, That’s, Wolfe, it’s, Bianca Soriano, Soriano Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Weather Service, Center for Energy, National Energy Assistance, Association, Energy, Indiana University, Centers for Disease Control, Income, Energy Assistance, Lawmakers, US Energy Information Administration, Louisiana —, Florida, Customers Locations: New York, United States, Washington, DC, Delaware, Nevada, Colorado , Missouri, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Florida

☆ Winter heating costs likely won't be as high as feared
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Heating your home this winter likely won’t burn quite as big a hole in your wallet as initially forecast. Still, costs are up across the board compared to last winter — nearly 26% and 14.5% for heating oil and natural gas, respectively, and 10.5% and nearly 9% for electricity and propane, respectively. “You’re still paying more, but not as much more,” said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. Applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program are projected to reach their highest level in more a decade, Wolfe said. To help its residents cope with the high heating costs, Maine started sending $450 energy relief payments on Monday.

☆ Heating bills are getting expensive for Americans as winter storm lands a punch
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Even before this historic winter storm emerged, experts warned home heating costs would jump this winter to the highest level in more than a decade. The cost to heat homes is expected to be 35.7% higher this winter than the 2020-2021 winter, the report said. More than 100 million people across the United States are under winter weather and wind chill alerts. But the heating bills will only get more expensive if the winter proves to be colder than expected. New England is especially vulnerable to severe winter weather, in large part because of constraints on pipelines sending natural gas into the region.

☆ An influx of natural disasters and rising storm-recovery costs means Americans will have to pay pricier utility bills for decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Utility bills are costing Americans more than ever, thanks to natural disasters rocking power grids. Companies have taken on billions in debt to strengthen their grids against storms, according to WSJ. One in six US households are behind on their utility bills, the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association reported. According to a November release from the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, one in six households in the US are behind on their utility bills. The families owe a total of $16.1 billion as of August 2022, an $8 billion increase from December 2019.

☆ Home heating costs are on the rise but government assistance is running short
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

But temperatures are already dropping and the number of households seeking assistance is already on the rise, according to interviews with more than a half dozen officials involved in programs that provide heating assistance. Kelly said the Salvation Army in Massachusetts has received twice as many applications as it did this time last year for its winter heating assistance program, which is aimed at those whose incomes are too high to qualify for federal assistance. The cost of heating oil has been a particular concern for the Biden administration, said the government official. Heating oil and diesel inventories are at their lowest levels on record for this time of year. The administration is also prepared to tap into the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, which has about 1 million barrels of heating oil, if necessary, the administration officials said.

☆ ‘It’s like living in an igloo.’ People are turning off their heat as prices surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Gabe Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

She, too, is struggling to afford her heating bills. Johnson says she doesn’t qualify for government assistance with her heating bills. He wants his heating oil to last as long as possible and filling his tank costs roughly $1,500. But it was only enough to fill roughly one third of their oil tank, which Thomas thinks will last just two to three weeks. So they’re using space heaters and electric blankets to stay warm, hoping to save their heating oil for when their kids come home for Thanksgiving.

☆ U.S. households await winter with dread due to high energy costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Across the U.S., families are looking to the winter with dread as energy costs soar and fuel supplies tighten. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association says energy costs will be the highest in more than a decade this winter. The pain will be especially acute in New England, which is heavily reliant on heating oil to keep homes warm. It’s projected to cost more than $2,300 to heat a typical home with heating oil this winter, the energy department said. But that level represents an overall reduction from last year, when federal pandemic relief pushed the total energy assistance package past $8 billion.

They heat their home mainly with fuel oil, which costs them $4.57 a gallon, up from around $3.10 last year. Duke Energy customers in Indiana were recently hit with a 7% hike after a temporary 16% increase just this summer. Fuel oil customers often must pay for deliveries up front, and many suppliers have been less willing to offer payment plans because of market volatility, experts said. “I don’t have savings, period.”Brickey and Parks applied for LIHEAP assistance through District Three, a government cooperative geared toward senior citizens in southwest Virginia. They had three months of electricity paid for this past summer, along with $800 worth of fuel oil assistance last winter.

☆ Thought you paid a lot to heat your home last year? Wait until this winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The couple is now paying $472 a month on the budget plan, up from around $290 a month last winter. Jason Bell may have to take on a second part-time job, on top of his full-time position, to afford his heating bills this winter. Those who heat with natural gas are facing the largest spike, with their cost for the winter heating season expected to soar 34.3% to $952, the association said. The tab for heating oil is expected to jump 12.8% to $2,115. Oil prices, which spiked last winter after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, are declining but are still higher than they were last year.

That spike in demand pushed prices higher, and was exacerbated by the retirement of coal-fired and nuclear plants, in favor of electric generators. Meanwhile, natural gas production has been slow to come back online after waves of shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, the price of natural gas is at levels not seen in more than a decade. The company said the increases are directly related to higher natural gas prices. "For many struggling families, higher prices can mean being forced to choose between heat, food or medication," the association said.

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