Maduro stiffs Kennedy energy charity for second year in a row.
Venezuela’s troubles imperil Kennedy’s oil charity
By David Sharp ASSOCIATED PRESS MARCH 21, 2017
Amid continuing economic turmoil, Venezuela skipped heating oil contributions to an energy assistance program based in Massachusetts for a second consecutive winter, imperiling the popular program.
The decision by Venezuela’s Citgo Petroleum Corp. to bow out of the program founded by Joseph P. Kennedy II, which has helped hundreds of thousands of US residents, coincides with plummeting oil prices and corresponding economic problems in oil-rich Venezuela.
Hopes of a late contribution to the ‘‘Joe-4-Oil’’ program — part of the nonprofit Citizens Energy Corp. — faded with spring’s arrival this week, Kennedy said.
‘‘While this is not good news, it certainly isn’t surprising,’’ the businessman and former congressman said.
Citgo officials declined to comment.
The Citgo heating oil program was launched after Katrina damaged US refining capacity in 2005, causing energy costs to spike as winter approached.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the fiery leader who died in 2013, responded to an appeal from Kennedy to help out after criticizing then-Republican President George W. Bush for failing to do enough for the poor. Houston-based Citgo is a subsidiary of the Venezuelan national oil company.
Over the years, the program has provided $500 million in heating assistance to 2 million program participants in 25 states and the District of Columbia, supplementing federal energy assistance.
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https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/03/21/venezuela-troubles-imperil-kennedy-oil-charity/8MGG2PFP695rlcsXcsTGBP/story.html