Blunt asks oil industry to help Missouri consumers

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt suggested Tuesday that oil companies should contribute some of their "swollen profits" to a program that helps pay the home heating bills of low-income Missourians.

Blunt publicized a letter he sent to the American Petroleum Institute, noting some of its members recently reported record third-quarter profits and asking them to give a portion of that to Missouri's Utilicare program.

Institute spokesman John Bisney said no decision had been made on whether to do that.

"We really are not saying a lot about this proposal other than the fact that this is a long-standing role of the federal government to help families pay their energy bills," Bisney said.

The federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides money to states to assist with utility costs. The Utilicare program is authorized by state law but has not been funded for several years.

Blunt has said he will propose to the legislature that Utilicare be funded from a portion of the unexpected revenue that will result from higher natural gas prices.

Blunt's request comes a week before the top executives of three oil companies that together earned more than $22 billion in the last quarter are expected appear at a U.S. Senate hearing to explain why they shouldn't donate some of the record earnings to people having trouble paying energy bills.

The governor suggested in his letter that oil companies also had a civic duty to share their big profits. He urged them "to voluntarily partner with states and the federal government to find ways to utilize some of the swollen profits ... for the good of the American people."