To: Darrell L. Clarke, President of City Council

STOP THE SALE OF (PGW) PHILADLEPHIA GAS WORKS

Victory! The creator of this petition declared the campaign a success. You can still sign the petition to show support.

The privatizing of PGW is a tragedy waiting to happen. Sign our petition and send the message to City Council not to approve the sale of PGW.
1. LEAD to a loss in of $18 million a year in revenue from PGW to the City
2. HIGHER gas prices
3. Loss of local jobs, and
4. Lead to the TERMINATION of the LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) Program with PGW. A program designed to help senior citizens and low income people pay their utilities bill.

The money will not be used to fund our schools or to improve needed city services.

Why is this important?

Read the story below.

She awoke early; and the house was cold as ice. She was eighty-two years old. She lived alone. The temperature was below zero. She could hardly move. It was so cold. Her old body felt stiff and her joints ached. Her feet felt numb. She had been without heat for two weeks. The gas had been shut off two weeks earlier because of unpaid bills. She had tried to forestall the shut off but to no avail. She had pleaded with the gas man not to turn off her gas but was unsuccessful. “Ma’am I don’t want to do this, but this is my job.”

The weather report on the radio indicated that the temperature would be subzero for the next couple of days. The cold was penetrating. “A cup of hot tea would be great,” she thought. She forgot for the moment, she didn’t have any gas to cook with.

Her old body felt stiff and it was difficult to move. The cold was biting and had seeped through the layers of clothing she wore. She looked for a way to stay warm. She huddled beneath the rug on the floor vainly trying to escape the cold. “This should help,” she thought. It seemed to temporarily provide some warmth. Within a short time she began to feel the cold again. She could feel almost nothing in her feet and her hands were icy cold. She began to feel tired and sleep seemed to be overtaking her.

A little voice inside her told her, “Stay awake. Don’t sleep.” She jarred herself awake. But again the pull of sleep tugged at her. She couldn’t resist. It felt warm, comforting. She drifted off again. Two days later news headline read, “Woman 82 Found Frozen to Death in Unheated Home.” This is a true story. Her name was Sophia Easer and it happened in 1976.

Ms Easer death led to revision of PGW policies on gas shut offs in extremely cold weather. This is the scenario we picture if we allow PGW to be privatized. The governing agencies regulating PGW will end, as well as policy on shut offs. We will see exorbitant gas bills, termination of the LIHEAP Program (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program), a loss of jobs and a loss of $18 million a year in revenue to the city from PGW.

Sign our petition. Urge the city not sell off PGW. SIGN HERE and tell City Council not to sell PGW.