Vermont to Offer Fuel and Food Assistance

June 13, 2008

By KATIE ZEZIMAPublished: June 13, 2008

Vermont is creating a task force to help residents combat the high prices of gasoline, home heating oil and food, Gov. Jim Douglas announced on Thursday.

“We must face the growing reality that fuel prices this winter may be out of reach for many families,” Mr. Douglas, a Republican, said in a speech at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center.

The announcement comes as New England, which has the highest rates of heating oil use in the country, grapples with how to help residents afford heat this winter.

Vermont will establish a no- or low-interest program to help residents weatherize their homes, create a clearinghouse for information about public and private organizations that provide heating assistance and encourage the formation of town energy committees to provide outreach and education about home heating.

Maine has the highest rate of heating oil use in the nation, with about 87 percent of homes using heating oil or kerosene, according to census data. Vermont and New Hampshire follow, with 56 percent of residents relying on home heating oil. A gallon of heating oil currently costs about $4.60 in Maine, according to the Web site MaineOil.com.

“Our goal must be to reduce demand for fuel — and demand for these assistance programs — by making homes more fuel efficient,” Mr. Douglas said.

Maine offers residents low-interest loans to help with repairs that improve energy efficiency, provides rebates to homeowners who buy solar panels and provides loans to low-income residents who have trouble paying their heating bills.

Mr. Douglas, like Gov. John Baldacci of Maine, is expanding the state’s park-and-ride program to help save gasoline. Vermont is also starting a Web site that maps out bike routes, has a car pool message board and tells residents which gas stations have the cheapest gasoline.

Last week, Mr. Baldacci, a Democrat, announced a $1.4 million program that gives low-interest loans to truckers who have been reeling from the cost of diesel fuel. Mr. Douglas is exploring a similar plan in which loans would cover auxiliary power units, which would cut down on fuel used while a truck is idling.

With higher transportation costs come higher food costs, and Mr. Douglas is urging Vermonters to eat locally grown food. He is also increasing the number of farmers’ markets statewide.

The state will also help residents use food stamp services, as only 70 percent of those who are eligible for food stamps use them. The task force will also urge restaurants and other businesses to donate excess food to the Vermont Foodbank.

June 13, 2008

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