U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston) called on the chief executive officers of five major energy companies to help Massachusetts families cope with the rising cost of heating their homes in the winter, his office said late Tuesday.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston)
Massachusetts families currently pay $4.60 per gallon of heating oil on average.
"Last year, thousands of families across Massachusetts faced severe economic hardship as they tried to heat their homes," Kerry said in a statement. "In fact, today more than 100,000 Massachusetts households still are having trouble paying their utility bills from last winter and are facing the prospect of utility shutoffs."
U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston) called on the chief executive officers of five major energy companies to help Massachusetts families cope with the rising cost of heating their homes in the winter, his office said late Tuesday.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston)
Massachusetts families currently pay $4.60 per gallon of heating oil on average.
"Last year, thousands of families across Massachusetts faced severe economic hardship as they tried to heat their homes," Kerry said in a statement. "In fact, today more than 100,000 Massachusetts households still are having trouble paying their utility bills from last winter and are facing the prospect of utility shutoffs."
Kerry wrote to the CEOs of Exxon Mobil, BP, Shell Oil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips. In each letter he called on the CEOs to meet with Joe Kennedy, the CEO of Citizens Energy Corporation, and himself in either Boston or Washington, D.C., to discuss "any opportunities that may exist for [each company] to help ease the burden of skyrocketing energy prices on low-income homeowners," one letter read. Kennedy's company works with CITGO , heat oil dealers and local agencies in 16 states to help provide assistance to low-income families struggling to pay to heat their homes.
"Over 100,000 Massachusetts households remain in arrears on their utility bills and are facing the prospect of utility shutoffs," Kerry wrote in his letter to Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil's CEO. "This winter is likely to present even greater challenges. The Energy Information Administration recently released its heating oil forecast, which predicts that prices in the Northeast will average $4.46 per gallon during the upcoming heating season, compared to $3.26 per gallon last year."
"Last winter, families spent up to $3,900 to heat their homes," the letter went on, "an increase of 30 percent from the previous year. Based on the latest projections, Northeastern homeowners could spend an additional 36 percent this winter, up to $1,400 more per family."
In his statement, Kerry applauded congressional efforts to help low-income families pay for heating oil but said the private sector must step in as well.
"Congress is doing all it can to ease the burden, but I believe private companies should play a leadership role in providing assistance to low-income consumers," Kerry said. "I strongly urge the CEOs of all five big oil companies to help low income families as they struggle to heat their homes this winter."
