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NOTE: The following post is an exact quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1527852/posts

Maine exploring discount heating oil deal with Venezuela
Portland Press-Herald ^ | 11/23/5 | Francis X. Quinn

Posted on 11/24/2005 12:44:41 AM PST by Crackingham

One day after Venezuelan officials signed an agreement to provide 12 million gallons of discounted home heating oil to low-income Massachusetts residents, Baldacci administration officials confirmed that Maine is exploring a similar deal.

Beth Nagusky, Gov. John Baldacci´s top aide on energy matters, said Wednesday that discussions are in a very early stage and declined to provide details.

Nagusky said talks with Venezuela were part of Baldacci´s desire to "leave no stone unturned" in searching for ways to ensure Maine has enough fuel for the needy this winter.

Venezuela, a key supplier of U.S. oil imports, produces a significant share of petroleum products used in Maine. Citgo Petroleum Corp. is the Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela´s state-owned oil company and has about 13,500 independently owned U.S. gas stations.

Nagusky, who is director of the Gov.´s Office of Energy Independence and Security, cast the talks between Maine and Venezuela as exploratory.

"We are discussing options," she said.

Anticipating questions about state dealings with a country whose government has an adversarial relationship with the United States, Nagusky said, "If we only imported oil from the countries whose politics we agreed with, we´d be very cold and we´d probably have to go back to the horse and buggy."

Nagusky said she believed cities including New York are looking into similar possibilities.

Last week, the Democratic governor and Democratic and Republican leaders of the Maine Legislature announced an agreement to make the appropriation of $5 million for fuel assistance for the needy the first order of business when lawmakers reconvene in January.

Baldacci said a simultaneous goal remains raising another $5 million through charitable donations.

The Massachusetts agreement is expected to aid tens of thousands of state residents, with oil shipped to a Massachusetts terminal and distributed statewide by two nonprofit organizations.

You may have already covered this- but- have a look at this post in the comments at LGF:

#112

tridroid97 11/23/2005 10:54AM PST

Slightly OT, but related...

I was listening to Neal Boortz interview Richard Miniter over lunch. Richard related a story that he was recently in Iraq at a Press briefing from someone fairly high up in the military. (Old age amnesia...can't remember the name..indict me...). He said that that they believe between 80 and 85% of the insurgent attacks are paid for. He further said that, at the beginning of the war, a typical roadside bomb placement or sniping could be bought for about $50 US. That price has now gone over $3,000 per occurence.

The incredible thing is that he was speaking to a major newspaper's reporter next to him (he declined to identify which newspaper)and jokingly said something like "I guess you're going to scoop me on this." The report just said "On what? I haven't been writing this stuff down. It's not news."

Excuse me? Not NEWS? First of all, where is all of this money coming from? Second, how do they know? And third, are they economic dipwads? If the insurgency was so popular, I would think that the price would be going down, not up.

No media bias?