ortheast lawmakers press Clinton to release oil reserves

By Myron Struck States News Service, 9/20/2000

ASHINGTON - The Clinton administration and northeastern lawmakers are at odds over whether to open the spigot on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The administration, concerned about the market impact, is in no hurry to release oil from the reserve. But politicians from cold-weather climates are increasingly under the gun to meet the concerns of constituents who fear a frosty winter.

Yesterday, more than a dozen House members put a critical spin on the deadlock. Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Malden, said residents faced ''a choice between heating and eating,'' and Representative Sam Gejdenson, a Connecticut Democrat, said Congress needed to look more closely at what he called a ''conspiracy between the oil companies and OPEC'' to jack up prices.

''We need to get some answers,'' said Representative Richard E. Neal, Democrat of Springfield, the cochairman of the New England Congressional Caucus. That group has invited Energy Secretary Bill Richardson to Capitol Hill today to explain why the administration hasn't proposed a solution.

Yesterday afternoon, President Clinton said he wanted ''a few more days'' to assess oil market reaction to OPEC's recent production increase before deciding whether to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

''I just think we need a few more days to see what the real market impact of the OPEC decision is,'' Clinton told reporters. ''We have some time before it would be too late to affect the supplies and availability of all the products we'll need as the cold weather sets in.''

The Energy Department is projecting heating oil costs to consumers will be 30 percent above last winter's record levels, while supplies remain at 40 percent below last year. Several members of Congress said the situation could result in an additional $150 to $600 in added costs per household this winter.

Richardson visited with the House Democratic Caucus energy working group yesterday to repeat the administration's take that there is a ''price problem'' that does not yet justify the release of oil. Emerging from the caucus, Richardson said he was open to finding a way to resolve the congressional concern.

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/264/nation/Northeast_lawmakers_press_Clinton_to_release_oil_reserves+.shtml

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 20, 2000