Hey, how dare you refer to our President as Mr. Shit for Brains! That's not nice.
Get Ready for the Big Chill
The price of heating fuel will soar this winter, thanks to climate policies.
By The Editorial Board, WSJ
Oct. 18, 2022 6:37 pm ET
Winter is coming, and Americans may get a cold shock when they get their heating bills, according to a report released last week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) that deserves more attention. Bundle up and set your thermostat at 68 degrees, or prepare to pay a bundle.
Average U.S. household spending will increase for all heating fuels this winter (October through March), including natural gas (28%), heating oil (27%), electricity (10%) and propane (5%), the EIA forecasts. Blame higher oil and natural gas prices from demand outstripping supply. Coal plant shutdowns in particular have increased demand for natural gas to generate power.
Households with gas-powered furnaces will still spend about 31% less than those with electric furnaces or heat pumps. Democrats want all Americans to switch to heat pumps, but heating with electricity costs more than gas. Heat pumps are also less efficient in colder climes. That’s one reason four million households in the Northeast still rely on oil to heat their homes.
Another problem is New York’s blockade on pipelines transporting natural gas from Appalachia. Northeasterners who use oil for heating will spend on average $2,354 this winter, up from $1,212 two years ago. Folks with gas furnaces will spend only about $1,094. Democrats in Albany who are blocking the gas pipelines aren’t content with raising energy costs in their own state. They want people in neighboring states to shiver too.
New York’s pipeline obstruction is forcing New England to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from overseas, which costs multiples more than domestic gas. The Jones Act, which says that only American-built, -flagged and -crewed ships can transport cargo between U.S. ports, limits LNG from the U.S. Gulf Coast. Six Governors of New England states in July asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to consider suspending the Jones Act to alleviate their energy costs this winter. But that would offend the AFL-CIO.
Instead, the Administration is threatening to restrict U.S. refined fuel exports. This would increase global fuel prices and result in higher heating costs in New England, which relies on oil imports. One bad protectionist policy may thus produce another. All of which means that Americans will pay again for the Democratic Party’s war on fossil fuels. U.S. gasoline prices have been rising again after OPEC’s production cuts, and swelling heating bills will compound the pain.
Could this affect the elections? The New York race for Governor is getting tighter. And a recent poll shows that even the races for the Senate and statehouse in Connecticut have tightened. Perhaps the cost of Democratic energy and climate policies, among other failures, are finally hitting home even in the progressive heartland.
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