PRINTER'S NO. 2879
No. 344 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY GEIST, PHILLIPS, FAIRCHILD, HERMAN, SATHER, BUNT,
CAPPABIANCA, CAWLEY, CLARK, FARGO, HALUSKA, HARHART, HESS,
COY, GODSHALL, MICOZZIE, DALEY, BELARDI, DeLUCA, RAYMOND,
TRUE, ZIMMERMAN, B. SMITH, STERN, RUBLEY, FICHTER, BATTISTO,
BELFANTI, SCHRODER, SAYLOR, KREBS, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER, MAJOR,
MICHLOVIC, READSHAW, SEMMEL, STAIRS, WILT, BAKER, MANN,
McCALL, STABACK, MARSICO, ARGALL, CLYMER, M. COHEN, WILLIAMS,
DeWEESE, GRUCELA, MUNDY, TIGUE, BISHOP, VANCE, ORIE, SOLOBAY,
BASTIAN, PETRARCA, JADLOWIEC, CURRY, LEH, DRUCE, PRESTON,
WOJNAROSKI, PIPPY, NICKOL, STRITTMATTER, PERZEL AND SEYFERT,
JANUARY 31, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, JANUARY 31, 2000
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the President of the United States and the Secretary of
2 Energy to take immediate action to release emergency funding
3 for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
4 and to release the United States strategic petroleum
5 reserves, negotiate release of additional oil reserves from
6 non-OPEC countries or negotiate with OPEC on additional
7 supplies.
8 WHEREAS, Fuel, in particular diesel fuel, and home heating
9 oil prices have skyrocketed to record highs in the first weeks
10 of 2000, threatening this Commonwealth's citizens' well-being
11 and safety to crisis proportions; and
12 WHEREAS, Retail prices of home heating fuel and diesel fuel
13 in some areas of this Commonwealth have reached $2 per gallon,
14 and level rack prices of diesel fuel are 106% higher than they
15 were in the first week of February 1999; and
16 WHEREAS, The impact of escalating oil prices on an industry
1 that is operating on narrow profit margins is being compounded
2 by driver shortages and other increased costs; and
3 WHEREAS, These increases dramatically affect prices for
4 essential utility and municipal services, and increases in
5 transportation costs threaten jobs and could cause major
6 disruption of vital supplies and other goods and services; and
7 WHEREAS, Home heating oil supplies are extremely tight,
8 particularly in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, and weather
9 forecasts call for continued below-normal temperatures; and
10 WHEREAS, Refineries in Pennsylvania and other states must
11 produce more home heating fuel, which may cause shortages of
12 other oil products such as gasoline, kerosene and undyed diesel
13 fuel, thereby driving up prices accordingly; and
14 WHEREAS, The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
15 Countries (OPEC) has indicated its desire to extend existing
16 output cuts amounting to over 4 million barrels per day,
17 resulting in nearly triple prices in less than one year,
18 devastation to world economic growth and inflation; and
19 WHEREAS, According to the International Energy Agency, global
20 oil supplies could be as much as 3 million barrels per day below
21 demand in the first quarter of 2000, and as much as 1.5 million
22 barrels per day below requirements in the second quarter; and
23 WHEREAS, A mid-January snowstorm, which occurred in the
24 northeast region of the United States, triggered even faster
25 price increases in Pennsylvania, resulting in United States
26 light crude oil selling just 4¢ below the $30 per barrel mark;
27 therefore be it
28 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
29 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President of the United
30 States and the Secretary of Energy to take immediate action to
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1 release emergency funding to the State for the Low Income Home
2 Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and to release the United
3 States strategic petroleum reserves, negotiate release of
4 additional oil reserves from non-OPEC countries or negotiate
5 with OPEC on additional supplies; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the
7 President of the United States, the Secretary of Energy, the
8 presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each member
9 of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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