Heating assistance cools off

Winter's coming and so are high heating bills that poor, elderly and disabled Utahns may not be able to pay — so Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. urged the public Monday to help.

"Sadly, with many this winter, we know it's going to come down to choosing between food, medicine and heat," the governor said after meeting with a disabled Salt Lake woman, Cheryl Wallace, who has already asked for aid.

Standing outside Wallace's modest central city home, Huntsman said private contributions hopefully will cover a shortfall estimated at between $3 million and $9 million in assistance programs, including those operated by Questar Gas Co. and Utah Power.

That's due to the big jump in heating costs since this past winter. The governor's office said if the 35 percent of eligible Utahns who typically ask for help come forward this year, the programs are predicted to fall $3 million short.

The number of Utahns seeking assistance could climb, though, because of the higher price of heating homes. If it reaches 50 percent, the governor's office said existing programs will face a $9 million shortfall.

So far, the state is not offering to help close the funding gap despite record revenues in recent months.

The governor stopped short Monday of pledging the state would step up if enough money isn't raised from the public.

"We're committed to serving our citizens' needs," he said, "to the best of our ability."

The administration apparently has concerns about the effect a promise of providing state funding would have on getting the public to make donations. Huntsman said his office will monitor the amount of money coming in for assistance.

Wallace, who was injured a year ago on the job and has been out of work ever since, said she has already received a total of $400 from Questar and Utah Power toward her utility costs but will likely need more help.

"I've always been self-sufficient and able to take care of myself. Then I had a real bad accident" that forced her to ask for the financial assistance, Wallace said. "It was very much appreciated."

She said she has already taken many of the energy conservation steps described at the governor's press conference, including turning her thermostat down to just 60 degrees and depending on her wood-burning fireplace for heat.

Utahns who have the means should contribute, Wallace said.

Pamela Atkinson, a longtime advocate for the homeless, said contributions could mean the difference between losing a place to live for some Utahns.

"We cannot allow people to use their rent money to pay their heating bills and end up on the street," she said.