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Minnesota is known for its bitterly cold winters,
and in the homes of many low income people in the state, paying for
adequate heat is a major concern. This winter the six bands of the
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe got some unexpected assistance in paying their
heating bills. Where did this assistance come from? Venezuela!
Through CITGO, the U.S. gas station chain and
petroleum products distribution company that is wholly owned by the
Venezuelan state oil company, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been
distributing discounted heating oil to low income neighborhoods and
communities across America. The heating oil is offered at a 40% discount
from the typical delivery price. The project is part of an effort to help
the working poor in the U.S., and to embarrass the Bush administration
for its lack of social programs aimed at the poor.
This winter Chavez’s
discounted heating oil program will distribute more than 100 million
gallons to more than 400,000 homes. These homes are located in 16 states,
include 163 Native American tribes and communities. This
winter, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe was among the entities selected for
assistance.
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is an alliance between
the following 6 Ojibwe bands: the Fond du Lac Band, the Grand Portage
Band, the Leech Lake Band, the Mille Lacs Band, and the White Earth Band.
The tribe as a whole is receiving $1.7 million dollars worth of heating
oil, which breaks down to roughly $500 a household for qualifying
families.
Despite recent economic growth on some of the Ojibwe
reservations as a result of the opening of casinos, the great majority of
tribal members still live in extreme poverty, often in remote parts of
the state where jobs are very scarce.
Right wing political pressure was placed on some of
the tribal councils not to accept the CITGO heating oil because of the
very public row between Hugo Chavez and President Bush at the United
Nations, but in the end it was economic decision to accept the heating
oil assistance.
“Why not?” said Gary Frazer, a leader of the Minnesota
Chippewa Tribe. “It’s helping low-income people. We would have accepted
it from all of the oil companies if they would’ve offered.” To date, of
course, no U.S. owned oil company has offered.
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