From the ASSociated Press in a story headlined "
World sees warmest winter ever":
This winter was the warmest on record worldwide, according to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For the United States, the winter temperature was near average, although February was the third coldest on record.
Gee, I thought the US was the #1 bad boy responsible for Global Warming. It turns out that we just export Global Warming to other countries. Must be that weather machine that Karl Rove invented.
Meanwhile,
back in Iowa:
Just as eye-popping heat bills reflecting February's deep freeze show up in the mail, low-income Iowans are discovering that the state's energy assistance program is in a bind.
State officials this year have had to cut the average one-time grant for energy aid to $320 because of a reduction in federal money. Last year, the average grant was $450.
In addition, the state has had to use up program money that's normally kept in reserve for advance purchases of propane during the summer months, when it's cheaper.
Federal aid for heating bills has gone down. Not because of Global Warming or anything, but because Mean Old Republicans were in charge of the heating pork last year.
And don't forget to chew on
these statistics:
State director Jerry McKim said he expects to see about 90,000 Iowa households receive grants this year, which would be about the same as last year. As of February, some 79,000 households had applied...
...Iowa received $52 million for the program in 2006, but saw a reduction of $16 million this year, although this winter will be the third-highest ever for residential heating costs, McKim said.
According to the Energy Information Administration, projections of U.S. heating fuel expenditures increased to an average $898 per household as of early March, in the wake of the February cold snap. That's still less than the $928 average last year because of warm weather earlier in the season.
But McKim said that doesn't take into account a steep rise last year in prices for natural gas compared to previous years, which has put a strain on the poor. In January, Iowa utilities reported more than 220,000 residential accounts past due, he said.
The amount owed leaped from $22 million in December to $27 million in January, he said.
So let me get this straight. The average heating bill went down 3% over the past two years due to reduced consumption, but the number of deadbeats who won't pay their heating bills have skyrocketed?
And there's
220,000 residential accounts in Iowa that are past due? That's a lot of people not paying their
utility bills on time!
When you think about priorities in life, what are they? Number one is usually some kind of shelter; a house or apartment. Number two is usually utilities like heat, electricity, and water. Close behind that at number three is food. Then, you know, things like cell phones, broadband internet, cable TV, PS3s, cigarettes, having a few brewskis, going to the gambling casino, and buying the latest
Daughtry CD are way down the list of important stuff. Right?
Or maybe acquiring that "stuff" is really more important than keeping warm at an average cost of $75 a month.
By the way, did you know that Iowa imports nearly 97% of the fuel it uses? It's true (
PDF).
That coal? It's imported.
That propane? It's imported.
That oil? It's imported.
97% of energy sources are imported. That's an amazing number you never hear politicians talk about.
Why not accelerate development of
the thermochemical conversion of pig poop into fuel? Why not require farmers with idle crop land or with a low corn rating to
plant Miscanthus instead of paying them to do nothing? And at least 95% of Iowa's (higher sulfur) coal reserves
are still in the ground. About the only thing that's home grown is
wind power.
But no, no, no, no, no! Everything must be Ethanol, Ethanol, Ethanol.
Ethanol is just another Pork Meat.
