Venezuelan-Owned Citgo Faces Congressional Inquiry For ...
- From: aozotorp@xxxxxxx
- Date: 27 Feb 2006 20:16:40 -0800
Offering Discounted Oil to U.S. Poor
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/02/24/1513213
excerpts:
Republican Congressmember Joe Barton of Texas has launched an
investigation into one of the world's major oil companies - Citgo.
The Venezuelan-owned company announced a discounted gas program for
poor Americans last year. We speak with Democratic New York Congressman
Jose Serrano, one of the few members of Congress promoting this effort.
[includes rush transcript] ...
n Washington, Republican Congressman Joe Barton of Texas has launched
an investigation into one of the world's major oil companies. But he
is not investigating whether any of the oil giants are engaging in
price gouging at a time when gasoline and heating oil casts are
skyrocketing. Instead Barton has set his sights on the only oil company
that actually dared to lower its prices last year - at least for the
poorest Americans. Last week Barton demanded the Venezuelan-owned
company Citgo produce all records, minutes, logs, e-mails and even desk
calendars related to the company's novel program of supplying
discounted heating oil to low-income communities in the United States.
The Citgo program, which began late last year in Massachusetts and the
South Bronx, provides oil at discounts as high as 60% off market price.
We hear an excerpt of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. He first
announced the discounted gas program during an interview with Democracy
Now! on September 16, 2005.
Rep. Jose Serrano, (D-New York) ...
MY GOODMAN: Can you explain what Joe Barton, the energy Congress member
from Texas is doing? What is he calling for?
REP. JOSE SERRANO: I think they're being obscene. There's no other way
to describe it. I mean, for years, we've begged Congress to look at the
oil companies, and now I may have to put on my resume that with a
program that helps the poor, we've been able to get Congress to
finally look at a oil company, except that they're looking at the wrong
one and for the wrong reasons. This is blatantly political to ask if
the program is here to serve the poor or it's part of a larger
political agenda, which was part of what the letter said. I think
what's happening -- and it's obvious to me -- that the oil companies
are embarrassed, and they are asking their friends in Congress, mostly
Republicans.
And as you guys know, I try, when I'm on this show, to be as
nonpolitical as possible, but there's no other way to put it. The Bush
administration has a serious problem with President Hugo Chavez. They
don't like the success he's having, both in his country and throughout
Latin America. They don't like what's happening in terms of governments
moving to the left. So they've made him the demon that they have to
destroy, and now when he pulls off something that is helping people in
my community in Boston, Chicago, in Maine and Vermont and other places,
Rhode Island, it's spreading throughout the country, they're going to
now start to investigate and harass them, and that's what it's all
about.
JUAN GONZALEZ: Well, I called Congressman Joe Barton's office earlier
this week to ask what prompted this, and the response of the Chief of
Staff of the House Energy Committee was that Hugo Chavez was
interfering in U.S. -- in the United States government oil policy, and
that therefore they wanted to investigate whether there was actually
some antitrust violations occurring. Your response?
REP. JOSE SERRANO: Well, I think the only thing he is interfering in in
Citgo is in the usual rip-off of the poor and the working class by the
oil companies in this country. As you know, their profits have been
outrageous, and no one is looking at that. They were asked by members
of the Senate to do something. They totally ignored it. Citgo was the
only one that stepped up.
And I think this goes into some dangerous grounds here, because, for
instance, when they ask for logs, phone conversations and so on, which
they're asking voluntarily now -- and they may go and try to do it in
an official subpoena way -- what are they saying, that they also want
minutes of any meetings that I had with Citgo, that Joe Kennedy had
with Citgo, that Bernie Sanders had with Citgo, and other members of
Congress, Charlie Rangel, Gregory Meeks? Well, that goes into a
dangerous area, because they're not investigating serious ethics
violations in Congress, and here they're going to try find out what
kind of conversations we had, but the conversations are public. They
were basically a great program that we were all trying to get in our
communities.
And I tell you, with all due respect to my colleagues -- I am not going
to give out names -- but if I give you the list of about 60 members of
Congress from all parts of the country who are asking me, "Can I set
up a meeting with Citgo?" to see if they can get this kind of program
in their district.
JUAN GONZALEZ: Now Congressman Joe Barton, of course, has a long record
of defending oil industry interests, at least of the major oil
companies, in Congress. He's also, as I noted in my column, in the last
election cycle, received more money than anyone else in Congress,
except Tom DeLay, from the oil industry and has received over $2
million in the 20 years he's been in Congress from the oil and electric
utility industry. Your assessment of his role as Chair of the Energy
Committee?
.
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