PHILADELPHIA, PA, Nov. 28, 2006 – An oil delivery truck pulled to a stop beside the home of a great grandmother in the city’s Nicetown neighborhood today and heralded the return of discounted heating oil arranged by Congressman Chaka Fattah.

The popular low-cost CITGO-Venezuela Heating Oil Program will provide up to five million gallons this winter to low and modest-income customers across Philadelphia and the five-county region at a 40 percent discount, Congressman Fattah announced. 

The program was created by Citizens Energy Corporation of Boston and its Chairman, former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, in partnership with CITGO, its Venezuelan ownership and local sponsors including Congressman Fattah.

Kennedy drove the oil delivery truck to the home of Ann Henry, a 68-year-old who lives on Social Security, without a pension, and spends low-thermostat winters bundled in extra sweaters.

The delivery of Mrs. Henry’s 200-gallon allotment was assisted by Congressman Fattah, CITGO Petroleum Corp. President and CEO Félix Rodríguez and Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United States, Bernardo Alvarez.

“I join with the thousands of recipients in thanking CITGO and the Venezuelan people for their benevolence,” said Fattah, standing outside Mrs. Henry’s home. “I also encourage our own American oil companies to follow the lead of CITGO and reach out to assist families who struggle to stay warm during the winter months.  In America, a family should never have to decide between food and fuel.”

Joe Kennedy said: “We approached every major oil company and every OPEC nation last year to ask that a small slice of their record profits go to help the poor. Only one company, CITGO, and only one nation, Venezuela, stepped up to the plate to offer a helping hand.”

The program in the Philadelphia area will serve up to 25,000 oil heat customers who are currently receiving federal fuel assistance and have a household income under 60 percent of median income. Heating oil is offered at 60 percent of market price – about $1.34 a gallon versus the current $2.25 per gallon. Deliveries are made by each customer’s regular oil delivery firm. 

Five percent of the heating oil, up to 250,000 gallons for the five-county area, is
being reserved for homeless shelters.

The program in Philadelphia is getting a three-month jump on the initial partnership, which got underway in February for last winter’s heating season. It is administered by a local nonprofit, the Energy Coordinating Agency.

“We welcome CITGO’s generosity and thank both the Citizens Energy Corporation which brought this program to our attention and the Energy Coordinating Agency, the organization that will facilitate the local distribution,” said Fattah.

To apply for discount oil:

Energy Coordinating Agency -- 215-988-0929, extension 2,  Or Citizens Energy Corp. – 1-877-563-4645