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Guest Commentary: April 7, 2001
Choosing Between Food & Heat
The Honorable Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
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We must help working families pay their energy bills. Congress appropriated more than $2 billion to fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program that helps families across the country cover their heating and cooling costs. Millions of families relied on the program this winter so they wouldn't have to choose between buying food and heating their homes.
Unfortunately, funding for the program recently ran dry, and many families are already beginning to feel the pinch. According to a recent report, as many as 3.6 million families are at risk of having their utilities cut off because they can't keep up with rapidly rising energy costs.
In Michigan, 1.6 million families face the possibility that their electricity or gas will be shut off. In South Carolina, 37,000 families are at risk. And in California, two of the state's leading utilities report that more than 1 million customers are behind in paying their bills. If we don't act soon, these families will only get further behind during what likely will be a long and expensive cooling season.
In Congress, Democrats are working to set aside emergency funds to get us through the summer, and to expand the energy assistance program to thousands of other low-income families. During his campaign, President Bush voiced support for the program. Now is the time for him match his words with action by calling for emergency funding for this important program.
To meet our long-term energy challenges, our nation must adopt a comprehensive energy plan that balances our need to produce more domestic oil and natural gas, and to be more efficient in our energy usage.
Democrats believe in such a balanced solution to our problems. We can encourage natural gas development and oil drilling in regions where it has been done in an environmentally sound way for decades. We can provide tax credits to small oil producers, like those in my state of New Mexico, when the price of oil is so low it's hard to cover the cost of drilling.
We can provide incentives that help families conserve energy, cutting their utility bills. We need to promote greater energy efficiency - in our homes and businesses - cutting energy demand and costs for our entire economy. And we must invest in a full range of fuels and cleaner technologies - from fossil fuels to renewable energy, like wind and solar power.
The Democrats in Congress have laid the groundwork for meeting the nation's short-term and long-term energy needs. For the sake of our economy and all American families, I hope the Bush Administration recognizes the need to step-up and work on a bipartisan basis to meet these challenges head-on.
Note: This column has been adapted from a radio address to the nation delivered by Sen. Bingaman, April 7, 2001.
 How to contact Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico)
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