Beginning Monday, December 12, low-income Massachusetts families will be able to apply for discounted home-heating oil under a deal arranged by U.S. Representative William D. Delahunt, Citizens Energy Corp., and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. The oil is being shipped by Houston-based CITGO, a subsidiary of the national oil company of Venezuela.
Similar deals have been completed or are being contemplated in other states, but Massachusetts is currently the only New England state participating.
According to Claudia Stewart, director of Oil, Heat, Gas & Charitable Programs for Citizens Energy Corp, families will be eligible to receive a one-time delivery of up to 200 gallons at a 40 percent discount off the retail price. Citizens Energy will screen prospective recipients and arrange oil deliveries directly to qualifying households.
According to Larry Chretien, executive director of Mass Energy Consumer Alliance, he has never been approached with such an offer from a U.S. oil company. Chretien said he hoped the deal would present a “friendly challenge” to U.S. oil companies – which recently reported record quarterly profits – to use their windfall to help poor families survive the winter.
Home heating oil prices are expected to increase by 30 percent to 50 percent this winter because of rising oil prices, Chretien said.Massachusetts residents who heat their homes with oil are eligible for the Citizens Energy/CITGO program if:
AND
If they have not already applied through their local fuel assistance agency, they can find the appropriate agency at http://citizensenergy.com/assistance-programs/joe-4-oil. Families who have already been approved for LIHEAP will automatically receive letters declaring their eligibility for the oil through Citizens Energy.
There are no strict income limits and no citizenship or proof of immigration status requirements for the Citizens Energy/CITGO program.
Beginning Monday, December 12, eligible families can apply by calling toll free 1-877-JOE-4-OIL (877-563-4645) to complete a brief telephone application and receive authorization for a delivery from a local heating oil dealer.
MGH staff can call Stewart directly to discuss cases involving dire circumstances, or to see if it is possible to expedite the process. She can be reached at Citizens Energy, 617-338-6300.
-Adapted from: “Thousands in Mass. To get cheaper oil - Delahunt, Chavez help broker deal” By Michael Levenson and Susan Milligan, The Boston Globe , 11/20/2005, with additional information from Claudia Stewart, director of Oil, Heat, Gas & Charitable Programs for Citizens Energy Corp.
11/2005