Advocates have energy

Jack Braun, a volunteer with Jackson County Fuel Committee, gets ready to split wood Wednesday at the group’s storage site in Ashland. Photos by Orville Hector | Daily Tidings

The economic downturn of recent months, combined with the rise in the prices of oil and natural gas, have many low-income homeowners worried about facing cuts in service and rising costs this winter, local experts and City Council members said.

The resulting rise in shutoffs and other shortfalls in coverage for residents has led the city and area organizations to advocate for increased assistance for those left out in the cold, and for a stronger safety net of programs to insure the city against future energy spikes.

One such organization is the Jackson County Fuel Committee, an Ashland-based nonprofit that has been advocating for relief programs for low-income families since its founding in 1977. The JCFC has had a high profile in the Rogue River Valley for years with its firewood benefit program, a volunteer-run effort that harvests timber locally and distributes it to recipients year-round in exchange for sweat equity. Randy Jones, the chief coordinator for the Committee, says that demand for these services has increased by heavy margins over the past two years, and that he and other volunteers are already feeling the strain for the coming winter.

"Shutoff notices are up by one-third from where they were a year ago," stated Jones. "More and more people are turning to wood stoves to supplement or replace their oil and gas systems through the winter."

Jones and other members of the JCFC are currently lobbying the council for a moratorium on utility disconnects for residents in the municipal area between November 2008 and March 2009.

"Several area providers, including Vista Gas Company and Pacific Power Corporation, have raised rates by double digits over the last year, and we aren't expecting these types of increases to end anytime soon," Jones said, noting that state and federal assistance programs had not kept up with demand. "So we are seeing more and more people coming to us, not just for wood, but for help with insulation and weatherproofing of windows and doors."

City Counselor Eric Navickas, a supporter of the moratorium, averred this sentiment. "We're seeing a budget shortfall at all levels, from the city of Ashland up to the federal government," said Navickas. "Other than this moratorium, or raising property taxes, which isn't a popular move, our options are limited in the short term."

Navickas said Council members are discussing introduction of a tiered system for the municipal power grid, whereby a marginal tax rate would be applied to heavy users in order to take pressure off of low-income residents.

"We certainly need a greater range of public services, and I'm all for implementing them," Navickas said.

Councilor Alice Hardesty also expressed concern with the existing situation, but cautioned that a lack of data is hampering efforts to successfully implement a halt to the shutoffs.

"We need more information on which unpaid bills are the result of genuine need," Hardesty said. "However, the city will renegotiate its contract with Bonneville Power Administration in 2011, and we hope to set a long-term rate that can help cushion us against these periodic fluctuations in price."

The city of Ashland already has several programs designed to relieve the stress on power bills, the most extensive of which is the Ashland Low-income Energy Assistance Program. The program receives $67,000 per year from the city and distributes via an application process that begins in October. "Almost everyone who applies for this program qualifies in a given year," says Pat Woods, a division manager in the Ashland Utilities Department. "We've seen a steady increase in applications over the past couple years, partly due to rising need, and partly as the word slowly gets out."

The energy assistance program is designed to cut 50 percent of one's electric bill for three months out of the year, for up to $300 of cumulative savings.

"It's very easy to apply," Woods said. "The problem is that we get calls in January and February, instead of in the fall, when we can actually start to help."

The program served 355 households at its peak in early 2008, a number that continues to lag behind capacity.

However, there is still little in the way of assistance for home heating services, and as costs continue to rise, locals such as Rick Schmitt, a volunteer at JCFC, are still feeling the need. "Sometimes during the winter, my family and I have to get out of the house, because it gets too cold, even with the wood I get from the Fuel Committee," Schmitt said. "I worry that most people don't really know how bad it can get."

Shahe Catranides, a volunteer with the Jackson Fuel Committee, splits wood at a storage site in Ashland on Wednesday.