Post by Okwes on Dec 19, 2006 16:04:10 GMT -5
Minn. Tribes Get Heating Assistance From Citgo
(AP) Minneapolis When the Venezuelan-owned Citgo Petroleum Corp. approached Minnesota's Chippewa tribe with a gift of roughly $1.7 million in heating assistance, members of the tribe's six bands raised a collective eyebrow.
"There are a lot of people who offer things to Indians," said Winona LaDuke, a member of the White Earth band and director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project. "I see a lot of snake oil salesmen coming to Indian country."
But the deal proved genuine: Texas-based Citgo dispensed millions of gallons of heating oil last year to roughly 181,000 American households in need in the Northeast and is expanding the program this winter, according to the company's Web site.
Still, there were the political connotations of accepting fuel from a firm owned by Venezuela's state oil company which has a direct link to President Hugo Chavez, who famously called President Bush "the devil" during a United Nations speech.
Chavez's criticism of U.S. policies was enough for a few native villages in Alaska to reject offers of heating assistance from Citgo earlier this year.
Wayne Bohn, an attorney for the Leech Lake Chippewa band, said the politics of the deal were "hotly debated," but the tribe didn't see the point in taking a similar stand against the gift.
"To us, it would be a foolish move. We're not a wealthy tribe," Bohn said. "We could make a political statement, but making a political statement while your people freeze is not very wise."
With Citgo's donated money, the six bands will pay heating providers on the reservations. Households on Chippewa reservations are heated with a variety of fuels -- which include propane, natural gas, electric, heating oil and wood.
So unlike heating assistance programs in northeastern cities and native Alaskan villages, where oil is the main source of home heat, Citgo won't be making direct contributions of oil. Instead, the company is simply donating a lump sum, said Gary Frazer, the tribe's executive director.
When LaDuke first heard about the offer, she sought advice from Noelli Pocaterra, a Venezuelan official of native descent, who she'd met through her work to obtain rights for indigenous populations.
"I asked 'How does Chavez treat native people?' She basically said, '20 years ago we were getting shot and things have changed" thanks to Chavez's reforms.
LaDuke, who now acts as a facilitator for Citgo's program in Minnesota, has no regrets about taking Pocaterra's advice.
"The Venezuelans always treated us with respect," she said.
LaDuke disagrees with the notion that taking oil from Chavez's government is unpatriotic.
"Exxon should be challenged more than Chavez," LaDuke said, adding, "I'm not going to justify his words to the U.S. ... I wouldn't have said the same."
The Red Lake Chippewa band, which isn't closely affiliated with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, also received an offer from Citgo.
Roger Head, the tribe's director of economic development, said he met with Citgo and Venezuelan government officials in Bemidji a few months ago. He said in the days before and after their meeting, Chavez made inflammatory statements about Bush.
Coming out of the meeting, something didn't sit well with Head. "I wasn't really wild about it (the heating assistance program)," he said. "I just had a feeling."
Head wouldn't elaborate on his uneasiness, but said his feelings were enough to make him hesitant to sign up Red Lake for the program. Head said he worried that "later on down the road" something would come up that the tribe would regret if they took the assistance.
"We haven't done anything yet on it," Head said. "Maybe the time has passed."
He said another official would make the final decision whether the tribe took part in Citgo's program. That official did not return phone messages left by The Associated Press.
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe -- an umbrella group that includes Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs and White Earth bands -- plans to distribute money to the bands in the coming weeks.
Frazer said the amount disbursed to each band is based on how many members are eligible for state heating assistance. It's those band members who will receive direct credits on their heating bills through Citgo's program.
Citgo has allotted 250 gallons of heating oil or the equivalent for each household. With Citgo figuring that each gallon is worth $2.25, their donation works out to more than $560 per household, roughly a 40 percent discount on most winter heating bills for homes on Chippewa reservations. Citgo's program runs from Nov. 15 until March 15.
Based on last year's state heating assistance rolls, the tribe estimates that more than 2,700 households will be eligible for assistance. Tribal daycare facilities for children and the elderly will also get a discount on heating fuel.
Citgo's program, called "From the Venezuelan Heart to the U.S. Hearths," has been widely viewed as an effort by Chavez to embarrass and irritate the U.S. government and make himself look good.
But Fadi Kabboul, the minister counselor for petroleum affairs at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C., said the idea for the program was born from a 2005 letter signed by 12 U.S. Senators asking oil companies to donate some of their record-setting profits to people in need. He was quick to point out that Citgo has been the only company to respond.
He asserts that there are no political strings attached to the program which, he said, was conceived by Chavez himself.
"The program is not a political program, it is an assistance program," The minister said. "You don't have to be politically loyal to us to be part of this program."
He says Chavez's habit of speaking out against Bush and U.S. policies is not going to hurt the program. "We believe that this is something far beyond any political diatribe."
(AP) Minneapolis When the Venezuelan-owned Citgo Petroleum Corp. approached Minnesota's Chippewa tribe with a gift of roughly $1.7 million in heating assistance, members of the tribe's six bands raised a collective eyebrow.
"There are a lot of people who offer things to Indians," said Winona LaDuke, a member of the White Earth band and director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project. "I see a lot of snake oil salesmen coming to Indian country."
But the deal proved genuine: Texas-based Citgo dispensed millions of gallons of heating oil last year to roughly 181,000 American households in need in the Northeast and is expanding the program this winter, according to the company's Web site.
Still, there were the political connotations of accepting fuel from a firm owned by Venezuela's state oil company which has a direct link to President Hugo Chavez, who famously called President Bush "the devil" during a United Nations speech.
Chavez's criticism of U.S. policies was enough for a few native villages in Alaska to reject offers of heating assistance from Citgo earlier this year.
Wayne Bohn, an attorney for the Leech Lake Chippewa band, said the politics of the deal were "hotly debated," but the tribe didn't see the point in taking a similar stand against the gift.
"To us, it would be a foolish move. We're not a wealthy tribe," Bohn said. "We could make a political statement, but making a political statement while your people freeze is not very wise."
With Citgo's donated money, the six bands will pay heating providers on the reservations. Households on Chippewa reservations are heated with a variety of fuels -- which include propane, natural gas, electric, heating oil and wood.
So unlike heating assistance programs in northeastern cities and native Alaskan villages, where oil is the main source of home heat, Citgo won't be making direct contributions of oil. Instead, the company is simply donating a lump sum, said Gary Frazer, the tribe's executive director.
When LaDuke first heard about the offer, she sought advice from Noelli Pocaterra, a Venezuelan official of native descent, who she'd met through her work to obtain rights for indigenous populations.
"I asked 'How does Chavez treat native people?' She basically said, '20 years ago we were getting shot and things have changed" thanks to Chavez's reforms.
LaDuke, who now acts as a facilitator for Citgo's program in Minnesota, has no regrets about taking Pocaterra's advice.
"The Venezuelans always treated us with respect," she said.
LaDuke disagrees with the notion that taking oil from Chavez's government is unpatriotic.
"Exxon should be challenged more than Chavez," LaDuke said, adding, "I'm not going to justify his words to the U.S. ... I wouldn't have said the same."
The Red Lake Chippewa band, which isn't closely affiliated with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, also received an offer from Citgo.
Roger Head, the tribe's director of economic development, said he met with Citgo and Venezuelan government officials in Bemidji a few months ago. He said in the days before and after their meeting, Chavez made inflammatory statements about Bush.
Coming out of the meeting, something didn't sit well with Head. "I wasn't really wild about it (the heating assistance program)," he said. "I just had a feeling."
Head wouldn't elaborate on his uneasiness, but said his feelings were enough to make him hesitant to sign up Red Lake for the program. Head said he worried that "later on down the road" something would come up that the tribe would regret if they took the assistance.
"We haven't done anything yet on it," Head said. "Maybe the time has passed."
He said another official would make the final decision whether the tribe took part in Citgo's program. That official did not return phone messages left by The Associated Press.
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe -- an umbrella group that includes Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs and White Earth bands -- plans to distribute money to the bands in the coming weeks.
Frazer said the amount disbursed to each band is based on how many members are eligible for state heating assistance. It's those band members who will receive direct credits on their heating bills through Citgo's program.
Citgo has allotted 250 gallons of heating oil or the equivalent for each household. With Citgo figuring that each gallon is worth $2.25, their donation works out to more than $560 per household, roughly a 40 percent discount on most winter heating bills for homes on Chippewa reservations. Citgo's program runs from Nov. 15 until March 15.
Based on last year's state heating assistance rolls, the tribe estimates that more than 2,700 households will be eligible for assistance. Tribal daycare facilities for children and the elderly will also get a discount on heating fuel.
Citgo's program, called "From the Venezuelan Heart to the U.S. Hearths," has been widely viewed as an effort by Chavez to embarrass and irritate the U.S. government and make himself look good.
But Fadi Kabboul, the minister counselor for petroleum affairs at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C., said the idea for the program was born from a 2005 letter signed by 12 U.S. Senators asking oil companies to donate some of their record-setting profits to people in need. He was quick to point out that Citgo has been the only company to respond.
He asserts that there are no political strings attached to the program which, he said, was conceived by Chavez himself.
"The program is not a political program, it is an assistance program," The minister said. "You don't have to be politically loyal to us to be part of this program."
He says Chavez's habit of speaking out against Bush and U.S. policies is not going to hurt the program. "We believe that this is something far beyond any political diatribe."