Americans should expect to pay higher heating costs this winter, Granholm says
CNN
Americans should expect to pay higher costs to heat their homes this winter, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Sunday, a result of high gas prices caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
"This is going to happen. It will be -- it will be more expensive this year than last year," Granholm told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union." "We are in a slightly beneficial position, well certainly relative to Europe, because their choke hold of natural gas is very significant. ... But we have the same problem in fuels that the supply chains have, which is that the oil and gas companies are not flipping the switch as quickly as the demand requires."
Granholm's comments come one day after President Joe Biden was noncommittal on using the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to address rising gas prices, but Granholm said the administration feels all options are on the table. A release from the SPR, which is designed to protect the nation against a major disruption in oil supplies, may only provide modest, temporary relief from higher prices at the pump.
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