Many fear sky-high fuel costs will leave them out in the cold

A notice on the bulletin board of a local market -- Offering to Barter/Trade Fine Art Beadwork, Leatherwork or Paintings for Firewood -- brings home the message that fuel prices and availability are a concern in Downeast Maine. Everyone consumes fuel, from heating buildings, operating vehicles and machinery, to producing electricity. And everyone is worried about the recent price rises and the lifestyle changes caused by budgets strained to the breaking point.

Soaring fuel costs tax government
Government at all levels is faced with a double challenge in the face of soaring fuel costs. They are huge consumers of fuel; think of the schools, municipal buildings, police and fire stations that each city and town has to heat. Also, the fleets of vehicles that municipalities operate are ever-hungry for fuel. School buses get about seven miles to the gallon; dump trucks, front-end loaders and other work vehicles even less. Fire trucks need to have full tanks at all times; police and sheriff's vehicles patrol 24 hours a day.

Government also must deal with the needs of individuals. Already, an alarmingly high percentage of local residents receives some form of assistance from the government. Programs to help defray heating costs were stretched before the current price run-up. Without additional funds from the federal government for programs like the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the burden to protect the elderly, the unemployed and underemployed and other vulnerable groups from a cold winter will fall on state or local government and charities.

In Eastport, City Manager George Finch is considering ways to reduce costs. "We buy our oil at dock price plus, which is the lowest rate available. We are considering reducing snow plowing, but the effect on the public will be significant." Finch went on to explain that costs might be cut by as much as one third, but it would mean streets would not be cleared as soon. "I am not sure, though, how many people who live on third-tier roads would be happy knowing it may be the day after the storm is over before they get plowed or even the folks on second-tier roads who find their roads are plowed only after main arteries are completed." He also says that Eastport has taken many measures to conserve and cut fuel costs in the past. "Much that needed to be done was done in years gone by, but we continue to review all our energy needs with a desire to maximize our efficiency and minimize our costs. We have always implemented efficiency plans to minimize the fuel usage. For communities such as Eastport where budgets have been tight for years, there are limited places to gain that have not already been implemented." Although some gains could be made by downsizing police cruisers, he said that the loss of capabilities of the smaller vehicles would not be worth the savings realized. Furthermore, because of the distance of Eastport from jail and courts, even one arrest could undo any savings.

In Lubec, the schools had attempted to reduce costs by delaying the turning on of heat in the schools until November 1. Because of the weather, and concerns for the health of students and staff, that plan had to be abandoned and the heat started in mid-October. Superintendent Mike Buckley says, "We asked parents to have students dress warmer, to wear sweaters and sweatshirts. We want to turn thermostats down to conserve fuel." Buckley also is trying to reduce costs for school bus use. "We now review bus runs weekly and are limiting overnight traveling. We are reviewing all field trips, keeping the ones the students like most. We hope to keep the field trips and do not want to penalize the kids because of the rising fuel costs. Most of the field trips are scheduled in the spring, and we do not want to overspend, but to keep the field trips which are most important to the students."

Public, private sectors join forces
At the state level, Keep ME Warm, a program of volunteers who help to insulate and winterize homes for the elderly and others in need, will operate for the second year. Through Operation Keep ME Warm, volunteers will install energy conservation measures in at least 3,000 homes from October 28 through 31. The door, window and pipe insulation and eight compact fluorescent light bulbs that make up the $60 weatherization kit will provide electricity and heating fuel cost savings of as much as $200 this year and will continue to provide savings for many years to come. In his press conference kicking off this year's program, Governor Baldacci pointed out that heating fuel costs in Maine were up 35% last year, and this year have risen an additional 65%.

On October 21 the governor announced a new partnership between the state and private donors to assist with heating costs for low-income residents. Former Governors Angus King, John McKernan and Joe Brennan will spearhead a fundraising effort to collect $5 million in private contributions, which the governor will ask the legislature to match with state funds. "This fund will seek contributions from Maine people and businesses to supplement the federal fuel assistance dollars we receive from Washington so that no Maine person suffers this winter from lack of heat."

The main federally-funded program to provide fuel assistance to low-income residents is LIHEAP, administered locally by the Washington Hancock Community Agency. Because the cost of heating oil and gas has nearly doubled in the past two years, there are concerns that the program will fall far short of what is needed. Despite several attempts to increase funding, the program is currently scheduled to have no more money appropriated than last year. With the average amount available to eligible families just $440, this will provide less than one tankful of oil at current prices. Typically, four or more tanks of oil or the equivalent amount of gas or wood are required for a heating season in Maine.

What fuel dealers see
Eastern Plumbing & Heating in Dennysville says that it is seeing more of its customers opting for their budget plan, to lock in prices before they go even higher. Owner Wanda Hoche says, "People are not grouchy -- nothing out of the normal. They are not happy with the price hikes, but are resigned to the rising prices of fuel." She adds, "More people are buying efficient furnaces and having their furnaces cleaned before winter to better prepare themselves for the approaching cold weather." In terms of its buying, the business does lock in prices for a portion of their fuel, but must buy the rest by the week at prevailing prices. Its costs for vehicle fuel are also on the rise. "Gas and diesel are up. It costs us more to deliver fuel, provide services. It costs us more to get the fuel here than last year." When asked to predict prices for the coming season, she says, "I have no idea on what prices will be. Whenever I think prices will level, prices go up or go down."

At a firewood dealer in Whiting, Brenna Gilpatrick says, "Prices are higher due to increasing diesel costs, and fuel is continuing to rise. We are a fairly small operation and are afraid we might need to raise prices higher. We have ties to the community and residents of Washington County cannot afford to pay higher prices." Even though they have raised prices $40 per cord over the last two years, at the current price of $180 per cord for seasoned hardwood, cut and split, she says that they are making very little profit. "Green wood is going for $200 and higher a cord in Bangor now." She adds that more people are buying wood, and buying earlier in the season, and that the LIHEAP program also pays for wood purchased for heat.

Individuals try creative solutions
With fuel prices skyrocketing in Canada as in the U.S., many longtime residents are winterizing their homes and buying fuel as early as possible, expecting prices to be even higher once the cold weather starts in earnest. On Campobello Island, some older people on the island are doubling up -- closing one house for the winter months and living together to share fuel expenses. Concerns about availability, as well as high prices, have been expressed, especially if there were an incident which would close the border crossing or restrict traffic.

Art teacher Shanna Wheelock in Lubec is cutting back on travel to save money. "Our family took one less trip this summer," she says, adding that they missed a family gathering because it would have cost $300 to make the trip. Also, in order to eliminate a round trip to Portland for a load of clay she needs for her personal artwork, she worked out an arrangement with friends and relatives to transport it north. Her brother bought the clay, passed it off to another relative who was headed to the area for other reasons, who then dropped it off at a friend's so that Wheelock could pick it up.

Wheelock sums up the concerns of many when she says, "With food prices now going higher, what will we be able to cut back on next?"