As Vermont heads into the heating season, the state has launched
a major change in how it helps people who heat with wood. For the first time, the fuel
assistance program is making benefits directly to people on electronic debit
cards.
Winter
is still a season away. But as the temperatures begin to drop, many are
beginning to think about heating their homes – or, in some cases, helping their
neighbors get the fuel they need.
A program in Addison County is giving people wood to heat their homes.
Around
150 volunteers marked the anniversary of the September 11th
terrorist attacks in true Vermont
fashion Tuesday. They helped cut, stack and deliver firewood to needy
families in Lamoille County.
Record-setting snowfall and sub-zero temperatures in the Northeast have led to
increased demand for firewood this heating season. There’s also been an up-tick
in complaints by consumers who say they’re getting less firewood than they pay
for.
In this program: Experts have warned for years that Americans aren’t saving enough for
retirement, but the unfolding financial crisis gives new urgency to that warning. Also, a 19th century Vermont painter’s images of Montpelier. And, a lesson in stacking firewood.
The wood harvesting program that state officials plan to expand is a multiyear initiative under which state lands
would have certain lots tagged for use by do-it-yourselfers, on a first-come
first-served basis.
When former Gov. Howard Dean became chairman of the
Democratic National Committee in 2005, he put a controversial plan in place
that allocated financial resources to every state Democratic committee in the
country;