WASHINGTON – As northern Michigan faces freezing conditions and weather reports forecasting 45 degrees below zero wind chill, Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) sent a letter to both the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations (O&I) Subcommittee requesting a hearing on the dramatic price increases in natural gas and home heating oil.

“Both Chairmen Barton and Whitefield are fortunate to be from regions experiencing unusually warm weather right now. However, the northern portion of the country has been submerged in blizzards and sub-zero conditions while home heating costs continue to strain family budgets,” Stupak said.

In addition to the letter, Stupak sent an actual energy bill from a senior housing complex in Escanaba, Michigan showing that their energy cost of $5,377.57 in November 2005 shot up to $12,495.65 the next month in December. After a fortunately mild January, constituents have been forced to turn up the heat this month and fear what their future bills will reflect.

As Ranking Member of the O&I Subcommittee, Stupak first appealed to the Chairmen in September of last year when early reports indicated that home heating costs were expected to rise anywhere from 50 to 90% this winter. In anticipation, Stupak requested a hearing in October and then again in December when the first signs of the increase began affecting consumers.

“I warned the chairmen in September of the oncoming increase in home heating costs,” Stupak said. “I wrote to them and requested a number of times during committee hearings that they hold a specific hearing on rising home energy costs, but those requests have fallen on deaf ears while many families choose between paying their heating bills and feeding their families.”

Stupak expressed shock in learning that the Chairmen had sent a letter to the head of CITGO seeking information about their efforts to provide low income Americans with reasonably priced home heating oil. Stupak wrote, “Here is a company that is trying to assist our most needy and vulnerable constituents and you are writing an intimidating letter to them…This Committee’s time and effort would be much better spent looking into the root of the high energy cost problem rather than going after a company that has provided some relief to Americans in need.”

Stupak continued, “I again implore you to hold hearings into the skyrocketing costs of home heating oil and natural gas. I also invite you to hold a field hearing in my northern Michigan district to hear from those people who are being hit hardest by this Committee’s failure to provide proper oversight over the oil and gas industry.”

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