Fighting Back, Not Rolling Over

  Submitted by the American Energy Coalition

            The Oilheating industry is standing at a precipice:  we’re coming off a two-plus year span of record high prices; ‘fossil fuels” have been deemed the cause of most ‘ if not all ‘ the environmental concerns of global warming; carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas is in the news daily; geopolitical concerns make crude oil imports a point of contention; and the natural gas industry has thrown its financial and political weight behind the causes of ‘cleanliness” and ‘efficiency.”  Singularly, we have faced each of these issues before, and remained a viable industry.  Combined, they form a ‘perfect storm” that threatens our very existence.

We already have in place the means to answer some of these challenges.  NORA and the industry have spent years fostering and publicizing Oilheat’s efficiency, cleanliness, and low-emissions.  WE know that new technologies and products like ultra-low sulfur fuels and Bioheat® make Oilheat as good or better for the environment than natural gas.  NORA is the make-up artist that ‘beautifies” our industry and ensures we put our best face forward. This effort has likely made a marked improvement in the public’s perception of Oilheat, and hopefully will continue in the future with NORA’s reauthorization. And yet, over the past decade, NORA states have lost nearly one million homes to natural gas according to the Census Bureau ‘ or close to one billion gallons of oil sold each year.

So, with a well-funded organization promoting the benefits of a better, cleaner product, why are so many homeowners and businesses spending thousands of dollars to convert to natural gas, and what can we do about it?  That answer is clear ‘ the natural gas industry is better funded, and has focused its attention on the ‘threats” from Oilheat with commercials showing that a system conversion is the equivalent of removing four SUVs from the road a year