"The threat of that oil being sold at any moment can lead to more risk for companies that might put more oil in storage, " says Tom A. Kloza, publisher at Opis Energy Group, which tracks the heating oil market.
Former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II recalled that Chavez and the people of Venezuela donated 200 million gallons of heating oil to the group he heads, Citizens Energy, which distributes oil to lower income families in 25 states and Washington, D.