We are proudest of the fact that the petroleum industry in the State of Connecticut employs 13,000 people whose annual payroll exceeds $624,000,000. Our people live in all of our state's 169 cities and towns.  These are the professional, licensed oilheat technicians who install and maintain our heating systems - these are the professional, licensed drivers of the trucks who deliver products to our homes, businesses and service stations - these are the people who keep Connecticut on the move by piloting the ships and barges into our harbor terminals and run our service stations.  13,000 Connecticut citizens who are our connection to a world of energy.  13,000 Connecticut citizens who make sure you get the vital energy you need, every day.

Connecticut's petroleum marketers have removed or replaced more then 47,000 underground tanks since 1998 at a cost exceeding $540,000,000. We have dramatically improved all oil handling and storage procedures and reduced incidents of releases to the environment. 

Oil heat has always provided a winning combination: high efficiency and low emissions. Now the latest in oil-fueled home heating systems are nearing zero emissions for smoke and combustion discharge. That means you get the most for your heating fuel money while helping to ensure cleaner air for your family, your community and generations to come.

·         Residential oil burners produce less than one-third of one percent (.003) of total particulate emissions in the United States.

·         The emissions from a home heating oil are about the same as those from a similar-size gas burner.

·         New oil heating systems boast energy efficiency ratings ranging from 83 to 94 percent. By contrast, the energy efficiency ratings for electric heat pumps range from 51 to 82 percent, depending on the technology used.

The State of Connecticut's 682,000 heating oil consumers use 545,000,000 gallons of heating oil annually.  At approximately 800 gallons per customer, this represents a decline of more than 40% from average consumption 30 years ago.  This dramatic decrease is attributable to oil heat equipment being between 83 to 94 per cent efficient.  

No other heating source can demonstrate a greater reduction in consumption through energy efficiency improvements than can heating oil.  

Further, oil heat is safely stored on site at your home or business and provides the security of knowing your energy supply is right where you need it.

The United States has two sources of heating oil: domestic refineries and imports from foreign countries.  Refineries produce heating oil as a part of the “distillate fuel oil” product family, which includes heating oils and diesel fuel. Distillate products are shipped throughout the United States by pipelines, barges, tankers, trucks and rail cars.  Most imports of distillate come from Canada, the Virgin Islands, and Venezuela.  The state's 355 heating oil dealers compete for the consumer's business by offering a wide range of services for the heating system as well as a variety of ways to make paying energy bills easier.  Many dealers offer price protection strategies and budget plans.

The State of Connecticut's 1,300,000 licensed drivers consume 1,600,000,000 gallons of gasoline each year.  Our state's 1,576 service stations provide consumers with a variety of services from fuel to food to vehicle maintenance. Because gasoline is central to our economy and our way of life, consumers are understandably concerned about the price of filling their vehicles’ tanks. Although prices are higher compared with prices in recent years, they remain well below historical highs when inflation is taken into account — and gasoline remains a good value.

The State of Connecticut has tremendous advantages in its diverse supply of petroleum products.  Our state is blessed with deep water terminals at New London, New Haven and Bridgeport whose terminal suppliers can call on refineries in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the Gulf Coast via pipelines in order to secure domestic supplies.  In addition, these terminal operators call on supply from Canada, Venezuela, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Russia and Africa.  Retail heating oil and motor fuels dealers also call on supply points in neighboring states.  Providence, Rhode Island, Springfield, Massachusetts, Albany, New York and New York Harbor all serve as points of supply for our state's petroleum needs.

The nation’s refinery system ran at record levels, produced record or near record levels of gasoline and distillate as well as imported record or near record levels of gasoline and distillate last year, the American Petroleum Institute reported in its Monthly Statistical Report for December 2003. The API report, which includes supply and demand statistics for the year 2003, shows the industry responded to the challenges of 2003 by working hard to deliver needed fuel to consumers. Refineries utilized an average of 92.4 percent of capacity, well above rates typical in many other industries, the report shows.

U.S. oil and gas production, 3rd highest in the world, comes from over 850,000 wells across 33 states.  Nearly 300,000 workers are involved in oil and gas production activities.  Each individual well may contribute only a small amount of oil or gas, and the amount from each well inevitably declines over time.  Technology allows industry to extend the producing life of individual wells, making the most of our known resources.  Despite being a very mature producing region, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Minerals Management Service, have estimated that the U.S. still has substantial undiscovered oil and gas resources.  Improvements in technology allow the industry to find and economically recover a greater number of oil and gas deposits.  These undiscovered resources will contribute to U.S. supplies of oil and natural gas for several decades, allowing the industry to assure that consumers have the energy demanded for heat, light, motor fuels and the many other products.

The U.S. stores plentiful supplies of fuel in many locations, the largest being the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Today, there are over 640 million barrels of crude oil held in the Reserve. There will be an increase in the Reserve's level to 700 million barrels, as authorized by President Bush. At 1 million barrels per day, the Reserve can supply oil continuously for nearly a year and a half!  Connecticut's Oilheat customers can have confidence in knowing that there's more than enough oil. As of September 2001, over 120 million barrels of home heating oil have been stored in the U.S. According to the National Petroleum Council, this exceeds the amount Americans would need by 40 million barrels. And, there's even more good news for Connecticut residents thanks to the Northeast Heating Oil Reserve. The Northeast Heating Oil Reserve holds 2 million barrels, and is divided into sites in Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island.