Boston Globe
by Joseph P. Kennedy II

The huge run-ups in energy prices have created record profits for oil and gas companies, refiners, shippers, and other players in the energy industry. What may surprise many people is that one of the principal beneficiaries of the price spikes is the US government. When energy costs soar, the federal treasury sees massive infusions of royalties from energy companies for oil and gas extracted from federal lands and waters. While the government collects a windfall, the poor just reap the cold. The federal treasury should not be making money off of elderly Americans and working families shivering in their homes during the winter. It's time that every cent of unearned windfall goes toward fuel assistance for the poor. Using $25 a barrel as a baseline ... the federal government ought to channel royalties collected on higher prices into energy aid for low-income households... [editor's note: This is deceptive, but notice he is talking about the windfalls the FEDS get, not the oil corps themselves - SAT] (09/26/05)

http://tinyurl.com/d9j58


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp