first, the poor

Record natural gas prices spur cutoffs
CHICAGO, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- The average Illinois resident will pay $600 more for natural gas to heat a home this winter thanks to hurricanes and rising demand. Ed Hurley, Illinois' special director of emergency energy assistance, gave the downbeat forecast Tuesday during a congressional hearing in Chicago.
Peoples Gas said 30,000 Chicago residents have been disconnected and 14,000 more are eligible for disconnection, the Chicago Tribune reported. Peoples Gas, Nicor Inc. and Ameren Corp. said there is not enough money to help low-income customers through the winter.

I guess this is an "I told you so moment," but I take no pleasure in relaying this news. And the advice to buy a sweater applies, though I wish it were merely a joke. As Kunstler points out, people may well freeze to death this winter for lack of energy. Pinheaded optimism is presently being buffeted by reality.

The poor are being disconnected, because the cost of natural gas is so high that they cannot pay. The cost of natural gas is high because supplies are limited.

These high prices are a result of hurricane season, however, they are also framed against a backdrop of peaking supplies of natural gas on the North American continent.

Time to get busy, applying real solutions to our energy problems.

Pork & nonsense won't cut it.