OK, there are a couple of them. First, the cost of home heating oil is projected to increase 36% this coming winter. That's 36% more than what folks couldn't afford to pay last year when they saw a 30% increase over the previous winter. So, people who can't pay to heat their homes and businesses won't be able to, and many small businesses who supply fuel to consumers will go into debt or go under. And the scary thing is that unless someone does something, that's what's going to happen in the northeast this winter.

"Winter is months away — and we New Englanders know the cold times it will bring with it — but we need to act now to make sure that this winter no one has to choose between food or fuel."

Another scary thing is what Senator Kerry's Democratic Senate challenger thinks about the committee that's taking on this issue.

“It’s not an important committee – it’s small business.”

The Senate Small Business Committee, whose mission it is to promote and protect small businesses in the United States -- businesses that employ most Americans -- isn't important to Mr. O'Reilly, which is why Sen. Kerry is a United States Senator, and Mr. O'Reilly is a drunk driving attorney, currently on sabbatical for the purpose of annoying the voters of Massachusetts. See the difference?

Yesterday, the Small Business Committee took on the issue of home heating oil and the future impacts on consumers and small businesses. The hearing covered the near term issues of this coming winter, and touched as well on the long term solutions of conservation and alternative fuels.

Today at a hearing on high heating oil prices, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), announced legislation with Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) to help small businesses suffering from rising heating fuel costs. Heating oil distributors are facing a credit crunch as they are forced to take out loans to cover higher costs for heating oil while their customers struggle to pay rising bills. Kerry and Snowe’s bill will give businesses impacted by high heating oil costs access to credit through disaster loan programs at the Small Business Administration.

“It might be summer outside, but as families sit down to sign heating contracts for the winter, consumers and small businesses are feeling the chill of skyrocketing heating oil prices,” said Senator Kerry, Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. “We need to act now to make sure that small businesses impacted by these rising energy prices have access to capital so that they can weather this storm, and so the six million families in the Northeast that rely on heating oil to stay warm in the winter will be safeguarded from supply disruptions.”

You really should watch the entire hearing. I know I say that most of the time, but this one is not only scary, but heartbreaking at times, with small business owners telling stories like that of an of 80 year old customer who can't qualify for heating assistance because she makes too much money at her part time job at the local grocery store.

In about six months, there won't be too many things that are more important.