NOVEMBER VOL.78 NO.11
Editor's Note
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editorial Office
I
Keith Reid
A Warm House
on a Cold
Winter's Day
interviewed Stephen Koch, the new
president of the Canadian Oil Heat
Association for this issue of Fuel Oil
News. Oil heating is a solid fixture
in Canada, and it is undergoing some of
the same challenges we face in the United
States as a heating fuel. As a result, there
are some universal themes in facing those
challenges, but also some differences.
Universally, there is the challenge of
higher than typical oil prices lately. There
is the challenge of aggressive gas company
pressure. There is the challenge of negative perceptions of oil as a product among
the more environmentally-focused advocacy groups. In both countries, these
challenges are met with some combination of aggressive push back against the
most outrageous efforts of the opposition,
as well as a promotion of the positives
with today's oil heat industry. In both
countries (though somewhat more of
a regional issue in Canada) there is the
proactive move toward business diversification.
The guard dog aspect of the U.S. industry can be found in Stephen Bennett's
piece on the American Energy Coalition.
Our competitors in the gas industry and
like-minded political and environmental
advocacy entities can be absolutely brutal
8
and frequently overstate or misstate the
case they make for their product against
ours. AEC works to make sure this is not
left unanswered.
What was notable about the direction
COHA is setting is their focus on the good
story with oil heating. Oil heat does provide comfort. It provides the homeowner
with control. The heating appliances are
reaching the point where they can be put
up against those using any fuel. The fuel
product has become far cleaner and more
domestic, not just with biofuel, but with
the increased domestic production of the
low-sulfur fossil fuel itself from the well
head to the refinery. We really do have a
good story to tell, and as Stephen Koch
noted, "This is not your grandfather's oilheat industry."
It's not that we don't tell that message—we do. But there seems to be, too
often, a tone of defensiveness. A reaction
to the negative message the other side uses
so regularly. Our industry can and should
be proud of the service we provide the customers—proud of the technology and the
skill and the history. It's good for both the
oilcompany and its customers for it to be
more of an "energy" company today. But
there are still plenty of reasons to be proud
of being an "oil" company as well. l F O N
NOVEMBER 2013 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com
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