Chavez Sends Envoy to Bronx To Provide Oil to Residents

In an effort to embarrass the Bush administration, the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, sent an envoy to the Bronx yesterday to start the flow of cheap oil to a number of the borough’s low-income residents.Citgo, a Texas-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, has agreed sell up to eight million gallons of home heating oil at a discount of 40% to three nonprofit housing corporations in the Bronx through April 1. Last month it announced a similar deal in Boston.“Not only should the other major oil companies be embarrassed this winter for failing to help low-income Americans with their record-high heating bills, but our government is failing its citizens in this regard as well,” Rep. Jose Serrano, a Democrat of the Bronx, said in a statement. “Cuts to the assistance available … at this time are insensitive and wrong.”The oil started flowing at a ceremony in the Morris Heights area of the Bronx, at which Mr. Serrano, the Venezuelan ambassador to America, Bernardo Alvarez, and the chief executive of Citgo, Felix Rodriguez, announced the details of the deal and presided over the first delivery.Messrs. Serrano and Alvarez denied that the project was politically motivated.“I don’t think people should be upset that President Chavez and Citgo is doing this here. … We have helped other countries. We have sent a lot of money. We have sent a lot of aid … and when we do that we’re being good neighbors, so why should anybody think there’s a political motive when other people do it to us?” Mr. Serrano said.Mr. Alvarez said the program was nothing more than a humanitarian effort. “We didn’t create the American poor. Tell me the difference between a low-income and a poor American and a poor Venezuelan,” he said. “We consider this good and fair to do with our corporation.”Mr. Rodriguez refused to comment on whether the program has a political aim.The heads of the three housing companies spoke and signed agreements with Citgo at the ceremony. Citgo is in negotiations with other housing companies, churches, health clinics, and hospitals for possible inclusion in the program.

Chavez Sends Envoy to Bronx To Provide Oil to Residents

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