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    Thursday, December 01, 2005

    Can you imagine...a congressman...brokering a deal with Saudi arabia?

    Boston Globe reporter Raja Mishra: He [Cong. William Delahunt had a meeting with President Chavez [who] made the offer....

    Leanne Hanson: What does the president of Venezuela get out of this?

    RM: You know, that’s a good question. It’s not clear. I mean...we know that he’s had a history of sort of tweaking the Bush administration using oil donations as a tool for that. But, on the other hand, Citgo is forgoing some profit in order to do this, so there is actually some clear benefit that’s being delivered to the folks here in Massachusettes.

    LH: What does this say though, I mean, the fact that the congressman seems to have been able to endrun the federal government and the state department to broker a deal with a foreign government?

    RM: I’m not sure what it says, other than…there’s clearly a need here given where gas prices are going, given how the winters are here in general, with a federal fuel assistance cut, and folks running through their supplies fairly readily in the course of a winter...it seems like the congressman’s able to help some folks out… Politically what it means, I’m not quite sure about that...

    LH: Do you think this can set a precedent? I mean, can you imagine, say, a congressman from Minnesota brokering a deal with Saudi Arabia?

    RM: That’s an interesting question. ...There was some grumbling.... The congressman said, well, none of the other major oil producers have stepped up.... So there is this sense that it’s not likely going to happen, but it’s possible that maybe publicity around this agreement and any goodwill it generates toward Venezuela might give folks in Saudi Arabia an idea. I don’t know. There’s not a real precedent for this, I’m not sure where it goes....

    LH: What’s your sense about how the people of Massachussettes are reacting to this?

    RM: It’s a little early to say.... I think whatever qualms folks have with Venezuela, the heating oil issue is a real serious one here, and it’s one that people can really relate to.... I think, at least, they think it’s a pretty interesting arrangement...

    LH: Is the deal just for this winter?

    RM: Yes.... It’s about 12 million gallons of heating oil...it’s going to be divied up between institutions and homes. It should help roughly 40,000...low income households get extra oil, and 3 million gallons will be reserved for institutions, such as hospitals, schools, etc. that serve low income constituencies.

    LH: And briefly, who decides who gets the oil?

    RM: You have to qualify for federal fuel assistance, so when your fuel assistance runs out then you would be able to tap into this.... Basically it’s the federal fuel assistance threshold, which is a 200% of poverty....

    Massachusettes Bypasses Feds for Venezuela Oil Deal.” Talk of the Nation. NPR. 11/22/05.

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