Editor:
    There are several oil companies serving York County and Biddeford that are on the verge of defaulting upon the locked-in automatic delivery agreement. Under the terms of this agreement the customer agrees to pay up front anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 for a locked-in price for winter heating fuel.
    The above companies are now not only failing to honor these contracts but they have approached two other ominous, horrific outcomes. First, they will now only deliver 50 gallons of fuel at a time thereby causing some customers to run out of heat in the dead of winter.
    A more frightening scenario is that these companies are threatening to go bankrupt causing the (local) locked-in customers to lose their funds, thus not only going without heat but also causing them to lose their money!
    The state attorney general does not seem to be stepping in to help. The public utility commission says it has no jurisdiction and local boards of government throw their hands up in the air and say ‘there’s nothing we can do about it.’
    Where is the protection of the people, by and for the people in the state of Maine? Someone should step up to the plate for all citizens who are being subjected to this sorry state of affairs. All that law makers seem to be able to do is raise taxes and shift responsibility for these terrible injustices.
    Maybe the oil companies should rise above the fray and buy out the dishonest oil companies in recognizing that they gave a black eye to all oil dealers and make a right out of a wrong and honor the contracts for the public – perhaps with an assist from the state and local government.
    The town of Kennebunk has arranged to supplement fuel for low income people. Why can’t other communities do something similar to the Kennebunk program where by money for traffic fines is going toward additional funds for the poor to have more fuel. Why can’t someone come up with a plan to help those people who stand to lose money and fuel?

John Vinagro
Kennebunkport