Transportation and housing energy policies: the energy crisis, minorities, low income and elderly persons in rural and urban perspectives in the southeastern United States

Technical Report · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:5058397

Holmes, R A; Boone, W; Grandison, C; Wilson, Z

The low income, minorities, elderly and handicapped have derived great benefits from the creation of rural transportation systems and the maintenance of relatively low fares in urban mass transit systems made possible by the Section 147 and Section 5 programs. It is essential that the Section 18 program, which also provides operating subsidy monies to keep the fares affordable, be expanded and its funding increased substantially. The Section 5 program has been of major benefit to the transportation disadvantaged in urban centers. The proposed cutbacks and elimination of the programs in FY 1985 will create severe hardships for residents of the inner cities. Rather, the federal government should continue to assume the major financial responsibility for subsidizing mass transit and keeping fares low. Although there are some problems with the administration of several of the housing energy programs, they have been helpful to those persons who have suffered most from rising heating fuel costs. The FMHA programs have made possible the purchase or repair of homes by low income, minority and elderly persons. The participants have reduced their heating costs as well as improved their quality of life. Although their funding is insufficient, the weatherization and energy assistance programs have both aided low income, minority and elderly persons and should be expanded in scope through increased funding. Finally, the woodstove project offers some hope for reducing reliance on high cost gas and coal as heating fuels and increasing the utilization of wood. The project has been an unqualified success.

• Research Organization: Atlanta Univ., GA (USA). Dept. of Political Science
• DOE Contract Number: FG01-80MI01010
• OSTI ID: 5058397
• Report Number(s): DOE/MI/01010-T1; ON: DE85014748
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
320203* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Transportation-- Land & Roadway
AGE GROUPS
AGED ADULTS
BUILDINGS
ELDERLY PEOPLE
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION IV
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
FINANCING
FUELS
HOUSES
HUMAN POPULATIONS
LOW INCOME GROUPS
MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS
MINORITY GROUPS
NORTH AMERICA
POPULATIONS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RURAL AREAS
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
URBAN AREAS
USA
WEATHERIZATION
WOOD FUELS