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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release December 30, 2000

December 30, 2000

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY

               THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
               COMMANDANT OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

SUBJECT:            Keeping the Heating Fuel Distribution System Open

When inclement weather strikes and the demand for heating fuel rises, the distribution system through which fuel is delivered is often placed at great strain. Freezing harbors delay the delivery of critical fuel supplies, and the demand for heating fuel deliveries rises, increasing workload of drivers who deliver fuel to homes and businesses. Last winter, for example, critical deliveries of heating oil were delayed as harbors froze and barges were unable to reach their docks.

In order to minimize the likelihood of bottlenecks in the heating fuel distribution system, I direct the Secretaries of Energy and Transportation to work together and take all reasonable measures to keep the harbors open and the delivery trucks on the roads. If shipping channels freeze, the Coast Guard shall be prepared to keep them open to the extent possible. The Department of Transportation shall inform State and local governments and private companies as appropriate about the criteria and procedures for obtaining waivers from hours of service regulations in order to increase trucking capacity for emergency fuel deliveries and shall respond to such requests as quickly as possible.

Finally, the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Emergencies shall coordinate closely with the Department of Transportation's Emergency Transportation Representative to address any other transportation problems as they arise in order to keep heating fuel moving through the distribution system to the consumer.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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