Troops on standby in petrol war

http://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12999322

-- Cave Man (caves@are.us), September 12, 2000

Answers

Clinton eyeing action if oil prices remain high

WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (AFP) -

President Bill Clinton said Tuesday that Washington was closely monitoring crude oil prices and may take unspecified action if prices remain near record levels for the US winter season.

"We are working very hard on oil reserves," he told reporters at the White House.

"We are watching very closely to see what the markets will do. We will examine other options if we face another tough winter."

Oil prices have remained stubbornly high despite a decision by OPEC to boost output.

In London Tuesday, the price of oil climbed back above 34 dollars a barrel as the market remained skeptical of OPEC's ability to ease prices, despite a commitment to pump an extra 800,000 barrels a day.

Prices in New York also remained high. Crude eased to just under 35 dollars a barrel during early trading Tuesday but remained at 10-year record levels.

Benchmark light sweet crude shed 25 cents from Monday's highs to 34.89 within an hour of the market opening.

Analysts said that among options Clinton may be considering is opening up the nation's strategic petroleum reserves to satify demand for oil and bring prices down.

Clinton expressed particular concern about heating costs during sub-zero winters, particularly in the northeastern United States where high prices last winter caused some popular discontent.

"We're working very hard to make sure our home heating oil reserve is filled for the northeast by the end of October, and I think we'll get there," he said.

He said that Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson had already let the contracts for reserve heating oil.

Clinton said his administration was monitoring whether the decision by OPEC to boost output was helping prices.

"We're watching very closely what the market will do on prices as a result of the recent OPEC initiative," he said.

He said that the fundamential problem was that strong economies in Europe and the United States had boosted demand for oil, and OPEC had failed to keep up with soaring consumption.

"Oil price production can get above consumption again, and we can replace some of our depleted inventories, which are quite low in the United States, and I hope that will happen," the president added.

Clinton took the opportunity to encourage energy conservation among Americans who favour gas-guzzling cars and high home heat and air conditioning.

He said North America consumed 50 percent more fuel that Europe but Canada and the United States had only 80 percent of Europe's population.

"So I think that we have lots of low-hanging fruit here for energy conservation that will create jobs, increase incomes and reduce our vulnerability to the tight oil markets," he said.

Clinton encouraged the US Congress to "adopt some vigorous tax incentives to encourage both businesses and individuals to buy energy conservation supplies and appliances."

http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/world/article.html?s=asia/he adlines/000913/world/afp/Clinton_eyeing_action_if_oil_prices_remain_hi gh.html

-- Cave Man (caves@are.us), September 12, 2000.

NEW ENGLAND LAWMAKERS SCRAMBLE TO AVERT HEATING CRISIS

Sep. 12, 2000 | 8:14 a.m.

By SUSAN MILLIGAN c.2000 The Boston Globe

WASHINGTON -- Looking worriedly ahead what could be another winter heating crisis, Massachusetts lawmakers are rushing to pass legislation creating a special home heating oil reserve for New England. They are also pressuring President Clinton to release emergency heating aid early, so that low-income families aren't caught short when the weather turns cold.

While the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided Sunday to up its production of crude oil by 800,000 barrels a day, there is great skepticism in Washington that the 3 percent hike in output will bring down the cost of heating homes. The oil will take several months before it arrives in the United States and is refined into heating oil -- assuming, a Department of Energy official noted, that refiners don't elect to use the crude oil to make gasoline, which could be more profitable for them in the short term.

In fact, many believe the price of heating oil -- which hit a household budget-breaking $2 a gallon last winter -- will get even higher this winter, presesenting a severe, even life-threatening problem for low-income Northeasterners.

``Everybody knows that a crisis is coming,'' said Josh Young, spokesman for Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), a non-profit organization that distributes government heating assistance to needy families.

``Everybody's scrambling madly to try to deal with this,'' said Representative James McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts. ``We need to be more aggressive ... and not be caught off-guard.''

With Congress distracted by upcoming elections, and the Clinton administration down to its final few months in power, Massachusetts Senators and Representatives are pushing hard to get some relief before the expected adjournment the first week of October.

The question is a tricky one for Congress and the White House. Neither party wants to go home to constituents angry about high gasoline prices or anxious about whether they can pay to heat their homes this winter.

Still, many lawmakers are skittish about artificially manipulating the supply of a product sold and traded on the open market.

What the two sides have largely agreed to is a package designed to help consumers by easing temporary dips in heating oil supply, but under tight restrictions to protect the oil industry.

The Senate is expected to pass a bill this week providing for a 2-million gallon heating oil reserve serving the Northeast. The reserve would offer immediate help if a cold snap depletes commercial heating oil stock.

But the oil could only be released if there is a ``regional supply shortage of significant scope and duration,'' and if the difference between crude oil prices and heating oil prices has risen by more than 60 percent over the past five winters, said Tina Kreischer, spokeswoman for the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Committee chairman Frank Murkowski, Republican of the oil-producing state of Alaska, insisted on the requirement.

Without the trigger provision, private oil refiners would have no incentive to buy crude oil and store it, since they would have to worry about being undercut by a government operation, Kreischer said.

Another section of the energy bill, sponsored by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, would create a pilot program to restructure the way heating oil distributors such as ABCD in Boston buy their oil. Under the Kennedy scheme, a distributor would be guaranteed a certain price for a gallon on heating oil for the entire winter if it paid a 4- or 5- cent-per-gallon fee as a sort of insurance.

``It's a significant step which will begin stabilizing home energy prices over the long term,'' Kennedy said.

Some on Capitol Hill have called for the release of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves, meant for extreme emergencies such as a war. Clinton has been reluctant in the past to unleash the oil, but ``all options remain on the table,'' said White House spokesman Jake Siewert. ``We're going to look and see how the market reacts'' to the OPEC decision, he said.

Senator John F. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and McGovern also stuck a provision into the energy bill that would require a yearly study, delivered to Congress every September 1, assessing the coming heating oil situation for the winter.

The entire delegation, meanwhile, has been urging Clinton to allow early release of some of the $600 million in aid under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which serves 110,000 Massachusetts families. Clinton is considering the request, but there may be a legal problem in releasing emergency funds before an actual emergency, a White House source said.

But the real culprit, said David M. Nemtzow, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, is the free-using, heavy energy consumption in the United States, where prosperity has contributed to even bigger oil demand.

``The United States has four percent of the world's population, yet we use 23 percent of the world's energy,'' Nemtzow said. ``It's out of control.''

NYT-09-12-00 0910EDT

http://www.stlnet.com/postnet/news/wires.nsf/National/1782849AF4EA8D4D 8625695800486082?OpenDocument

-- Cave Man (caves@are.us), September 12, 2000.

WE'RE DOOMED .........I TELL 'YE.....DOOOMED. EVERY HAND FOR HIMSELF. AND DON'T FORGIT' TO BUY THOSE PREP, GOOBER.

-- cpr (buytexas@swbell.net), September 12, 2000.

How typical that a shiteater like CPR (The Paul Milne of the polly clan), living in Texas, would treat a potential life-threatening situation for North-easterners with such contempt. There really is a special place in hell for this mud-slinging piece of shit.

Hey CPR, go kick a puppy or something. It'll make you feel better. Just paste a picture of Milne on his ass. You'll thank me later.

And the New DeBunkie's House O' Trolls just keeps PROVING that HERE is the NEW "Hysterium". Have fun enjoying your "First Amendment rights", folks.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- Yeah Right (Ahhh@Haa.haa.haa), September 12, 2000.

go kick a puppy? i'm not a violent person, but i'd consider kicking YOUR ass.

-- cin (cin@=0).cin), September 12, 2000.

I realize "Yeah Right" meant in saying 'to kick a puppy' as something someone might do in a fit of uncontrollable anger and had nothing to do with the proper way to prepare this meat for the table,but I must emphasize that the proper way is to hang this future dish and whip with a flexible rod or branch so to tenderize the meat..of course it is best to extinguish the life of the animal..that is the accepted procedure in the far east,at least..these people honor the dog..I would think they would not have any qualms with a different approach to cat preparation..

-- meat be meat (dogs taste better th@n.cats), September 12, 2000.

Does saying such things give you enormous pleasure? What do you think that says about you?

I really think you should seek help.

-- cin (cin@=0).cin), September 12, 2000.

Only in yanking your chain..different cultures enjoy different cuisines..there is nothing wrong with consuming dogs,cats,guinea pigs,lizards,snakes and bugs..people in this country go to a supermarket every day and purchase beef,lamb,swine,poultry and seafood..and most if not all do not consider how these products are put down and prepared for the table..

I agree,I do need help..I should realize that a cat killing a songbird is only natural for the cat..and its only natural for me to put a round through each one I see doing that and I unlike the cat will consume the victim and in turn gain its predatory nature.. I just wish their meat was less stringy, I guess thats why I prefer the homebound,more confined type as opposed to the free range..

-- meat be meat (hope thats a good enough @n.swer), September 12, 2000.