(Host) Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie says the state needs to prepare for a possible emergency this winter as Vermonters struggle to pay for home heating fuel.

Meanwhile, Vermont fuel dealers say they can't afford to offer "pre-buy" programs that customers have used to lock in prices for the winter ahead.

VPR's John Dillon reports:

(Dillon) Dubie chairs the Governor's Homeland Security Advisory Council. At a news conference, he displayed a four inch thick notebook that details how Vermont will handle a variety of disasters -everything from tornadoes to drought.

But Dubie says the emergency plan doesn't appear to cover the crisis that people may face this winter as they try to heat their homes.

(Dubie) ``I'm going to review this document - which is the emergency operation plan -- to make sure it's robust enough to address home heating fuel.''

(Host) Dubie says he's most worried about the impact of high fuel prices on senior citizens. Fuel oil is now around $4.50 a gallon, about a dollar more than last January. Dubie says he's worried that the price may be even higher next winter.

(Dubie) "There's intelligence briefings that I'm receiving about Middle East scenarios that are real that could mean supply concerns. There are great tensions between Iran and Israel right now, nuclear plants. There are intelligence briefings that say that there could be a disruption.''

(Dillon) Consumers have often used "pre-buy" programs to purchase a season's worth of fuel in advance at a locked-in price. The programs allow people to hedge against higher prices in the winter.

But Matt Cota, the executive director of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association, said his members aren't offering pre-buy programs now. He said the companies are leery of buying supplies in advance of the heating season.

(Cota) "The past 15 years - 14 of the last 15 years - you came in in June, you wrote your check for your oil in January. You did well, your oil dealer did well. Everyone left happy. This year, it's just too much of a risk for many fuel dealers to even offer pre-buys.''

(Dillon) Governor Jim Douglas has developed a plan to help Vermonters deal with rising fuel and food costs. Lieutenant Governor Dubie said the state may need to spend more money on emergency assistance programs.

For VPR News, I'm John Dillon in Montpelier.