The headline focus has been on the gas price at the pump. Unfortunately, our elected leaders both in D.C. and Albany have lost sight of the fact that home-heating prices, both oil and gas, have skyrocketed.
Last year home-heating oil cost about $3.25 on a ceiling contract with Petro. This year the sky is the limit. A quick check on the NYSERDA website shows that the average price of home-heating oil as of when this is written for Long Island is $5.97 per gallon. If you use 200 gallons per month, you will pay an additional $544 per month.
Democrats blame greedy oil companies. Republicans blame green energy zealots. We ordinary citizens are stuck in the middle as politicians compete for power playing to their base.
Here’s a novel idea: Plan for a future that transitions away from fossil fuels over the next 30 years while making certain that affordable fossil fuel is available. Our current elected leaders seem not to be able to act in our interest. Perhaps it is time to fire all of them on Nov. 8.
Michael Chartan
Great Neck
