Congressman Hodes Introduces Legislation to Assist Working Families with Home Heating Oil

For Immediate Release

July 10, 2008

Contact:        Mark Bergman

                202-225-5206

Congressman Hodes Introduces Legislation to Assist Working Families with Home Heating Oil

Washington, DC---Congressman Hodes today introduced bipartisan legislation to allow for the Secretary of Energy to release heating oil from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve if the price of heating oil remains above $4 per gallon.  This legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Snowe and Kerry. 

“This legislation will help working families struggling to keep pace with the record price of heating oil,” Congressman Paul Hodes said. “For many working families the price of oil is going to make the upcoming winter season unaffordable and we must take action now to protect families who are unable to heat their homes.”

The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve was created in 2000 as an emergency response to interruptions in heating oil supply.  The Reserve is designed to serve New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the New England states - a region that contains over 6 million households that use heating oil.

“As families prepare to deal with rising heating oil costs this winter, this new tool can prevent serious safety issues for families that cannot access affordable energy,” Congressman Hodes added.

 This new legislation would allow heating oil from the reserve to be released if the President found that high prices were causing a threat to public safety and health.  The bill also would create mandatory, incremental releases from the reserve if the price of heating oil is over $4 per gallon from November through March.