Some politicians dither (Jean Schmidt). Some do (William Delahunt).
Some oil companies ignore the poor who will freeze to death (EXXON, BP, Shell, etc.). Some help the poor (CITGO via Venezuela).
“The Boston Globe is reporting 45,000 low income families in Massachusetts will soon start getting discounted home-heating oil from a subsidiary of the Venezuelan national oil company,” reports Amy Goodman for Democracy Now!
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered to ship 285,000 barrels of oil to Massachusetts and sell it at a 40 percent discount. The deal was arranged by U.S. Congressman William Delahunt, the Venezuelan gas company Citgo and a Massachusetts nonprofit called Citizens Energy. Nationwide home heating oil prices are expected to increase by as much as 50 percent this winter because of rising oil prices.
More interesting quotes below — including how oil companies have IGNORED the pleas of U.S. Senators to offer help for the poor — along with a KEY POLL for YOU:
Update [2005-11-22 11:55:41 by susanhu]: Prof Marcus (at DKos) has a key diary relating to this story: Chavez on the move in the U.S. and Argentina, in which he reports that “[t]he plea came in a letter from a group of U.S. senators to nine big oil companies: With huge increases in winter heating bills expected, the letter read, we want you to donate some of your record profits to help low-income people cover those costs. …. the one response…? venezuela and hugo chávez…
Chavez is the only representative of an oil company to step up to the plate.
………………………………………..
More from the Boston Globe:
That meeting — unusual for a sitting member of Congress and a head of state so critical of the White House — sparked negotiations that led to the official announcement scheduled for today: A US subsidiary of a Venezuelan-owned company will provide 12 million gallons of discounted home heating oil to Massachusetts consumers and organizations serving the poor.
Delahunt, a Quincy Democrat who is emerging as one of his party’s leading voices in Latin American affairs, said he was simply trying to smooth strained US-Venezuelan relations while helping low-income people in his home state.
Critics said Delahunt should not be working so closely with Chávez, an outspoken leftist.
[………]
”He’s been kind of an apologist for Chávez for some time,” said Steve Johnson, a Latin American specialist at the conservative Heritage Foundation. Meeting with the leader who calls himself a revolutionary populist, Johnson said, ”is not something I’d like my congressman to be doing.”
Delahunt dismissed the criticism, saying he is doing his part to continue a dialogue with a country that is the fourth-largest provider of refined petroleum products to the United States. The heating oil agreement, he said, ”was something that wasn’t about politics, was not about the bilateral relationship. It was about people. It was genuinely humanitarian in its intention and in its impact.”
Asked if he was subverting State Department policy toward Chávez, Delahunt said, ”I don’t work for Condoleezza Rice. I don’t report to the State Department. I report to the people who elected me in the state of Massachusetts. I belong to an independent branch of government.” …
Read all at the Boston Globe.
Let the politicians bicker. In the meantime, a lot of people will be warmer this winter.
IMPORTANT: If you know anyone in Massachusetts who may qualify for help, help them contact this group:
Well, I find this more interesting from the states’-autonomy standpoint from the “Yay Chavez!” standpoint…
I think the part about “I belong to an independent branch of government.” … is pretty good too. It’s about time, some might say, for Congresspeople to actually say that. Maybe some republicans can agree? Just imagine the possibilities…
C-posted at DKos.
fighting for the poor, the people who run the low income energy assistance in my state are the thieves. As soon as a Congressperson in my state steps up there with Chavez though my wallet will fall open! That damn Chavez! When do think Bush is going to find out about this? Since he is hiding in Asia he may find it out a lot sooner than he would like. If he was hiding in Crawford or at the White House his aides would be drawing straws to be the one who would eventually have to tell him…..nah, let him find out in a few weeks when a reporter with a pair springs a Chavez question on him. You know the day he finds this out he is going to puke in his wheaties. He hates that fucking Chavez….and then that little bastard chased him around South America and pissed on his trade deals and said mean things about him……now he is going to become an American Hero and slay Bush and Cheney with their own “energy policy”. Shit, this is all just hilarious!! How does Hugo think this shit up? Maybe he’s just a decent sort of person…..people with a soul seem to clash with the Republican party these days.
than other stations’s pump prices, at least in Arkansas. I’ve done a lot of driving over several months with a friend who goes to two VA hospitals. Consistently, Conoco is a nickle or dime less per gallon than other stations. I asked a station attendant out in the country if the gas came from Argentina, and she swore up and down it was “local.” Still makes me LOL, but in truth President Chavez has saved us a few bucks in our travels!
Here it’s about the same as the lowest prices of the other brands, but I go out of my way to buy it regardless of price. Makes the ol junker seem to run better knowing my pennies are going to Chavez instead of the Texas-Saudi Mafia.
I sure wish we had a Citgo or 7-11 here … but the closest is about a hundred miles away.
So we buy at COSTCO, which I hope helps because they are BLUE!
Pennsylvania’s Gov. Rendell has announced a $30 million increase over and above what the Federal government is providing this year. Bush wanted to cap the program at its 1982 level, but Rendell knows a lot of Pennsylvanians are in trouble this winter. Half of the $30 million will come from energy companies in the state, the other half is coming directly from the state.
A friend of mine works in an office that distributes this program and she says the feds have increased the number of people who qualify, but cut the amount they qualify for. So there is less money, but more people are in the program, which is a way for Bush to get the most political bang for his buck, the dirty bastard. Here’s some info for folks in Pa:
“Applications for LIHEAP are available at the Department of Public Welfare’s (DPW) County Assistance Offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or Community Action Agencies. Families can also apply for LIHEAP cash grants online at http://www.compass.state.pa.us.
Individuals in the nine counties listed below are encouraged to contact the following agencies that operate the crisis component in their areas:
Allegheny – Allegheny County Department of Human Services, (412) 562-0330;
Carbon – Carbon County Action Committee, (610) 377-6400;
Centre – Central PA Community Action Committee, (814) 765-1551, Millheim Family Service Center, (814) 349-5850, Bellefonte Family Service Center, (814) 355-7501, Phillipsburg Community Action Center, (814) 342-0404;
Lackawanna – Scranton/Lackawanna Human Development Agency, (570) 963-6836;
Lancaster – Community Action Program, (717) 299-7301 or (800) 732-0018;
Luzerne – Commission on Economic Opportunity, (570) 826-0510;
Philadelphia – Department of Licenses and Inspections, (215) 686-2590;
Wyoming – Commission on Economic Development, (570) 836-4090;
York – Community Progress Council, (717) 846-4600.
The Governor urged those who don’t qualify for assistance to take the necessary steps to make their home more energy efficient. For more information on winterizing your home, visit http://www.staywarmPA.com. For more information about LIHEAP call DPW’s toll free information line at 1-866-857-7095, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.”
Susan, great diary.
This is a repost of a comment I made in Susan’s diary over at Dkos.
LIHEAP = Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Meeting with the leader who calls himself a revolutionary populist, Johnson said, ”is not something I’d like my congressman to be doing.”
Yeah, getting some ideas about how civilized people ought to treat poor people is not something he’d like ANY congressman (or woman) to be doing.
“an outspoken leftist” … “a revolutionary populist”… Ooooooh
How about “democratically elected leader”?
Anyway, seeing the wingnuts get their panties in a twist about this begs the question: “And the Saudi government is just the kind of regime we do want to be dealing with?”
I like how Chavez stands up to bush ands big oil. Last year he helped with a boycott to Exxon and Shell in Argentina. In only one month those two companies had to lower their prices.
What more proof do we need that big oil is artificially raising oil prices???????