Aug 12, 2008 8:08 pm US/Eastern
Dems, GOP Ready To Fix Home Heating Woes
Impending Special Session In Albany Could Be Moment Of Triumph Or Series Of Political Bickering
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Whatever you paid last winter for home heating oil may double this winter, unless the New York State government does something soon.
CBS
We're a week away from a special session in Albany, where lawmakers want to provide help to families who will struggle to pay for heat this winter.
Both sides have home heating relief plans, but will either pass?
Her late husband worked for Con Ed for 40 years, but the monthly pension Charlotte Luzzi still receives doesn't even cover her Con Ed Bill.
"It used to, but it doesn't anymore," Luzzi said.
And it sure won't this winter, with estimates that the cost of natural gas heat could rise 40 percent. Homes that use heating oil could see costs go up 60 percent.
"This is going to become a crisis situation as we move into the fall and into the winter," said State Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Rockland.
So Democrats in the Assembly are drumming up support for their home heating assistance plan.
It includes a proposal to pump $550 million into energy assistance for low-income homeowners, and open eligibility to families making up to $55,000 a year – all paid for with a new tax on the record profits of big oil companies.
"Those who have benefitted the most from this crisis ought to be stepping up to the plate to help pay for those who've been harmed by it," said Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Ulster.
Republicans in the Legislature say they, too, want to help families pay for heat this winter. But Albany is a capitol divided, so the Republican plan is a bit different.
The GOP would give $1,000 home heating credits to families making up to $150,000 a year.
Right now the forecast calls for a lot of Legislative hot air to be spent debating the competing proposals.
But unless a spirit of compromise heats up, plans to help homeowners could go cold.
Governor David Paterson says he hopes both sides will work with him to craft a home heating relief package, but priority 1 during the special session is to address New York's looming budget deficit.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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