OUR MISSION
Operation Fuel ensures equitable access to energy for all by providing year-round energy and utility assistance, promoting energy independence, and advocating for affordable energy.
Our History of Helping
Operation Fuel was founded in 1977 after a worldwide oil embargo caused an unprecedented escalation in the price of home heating. Although federal and state governments had developed energy assistance programs for families experiencing poverty, low-income working families who were not eligible for government help and in crisis were left out in the cold.
To address the crisis in Connecticut, a collaboration among religious communities, industry leaders in banking, insurance, and utilities, Father Thomas Lynch, and Governor Ella Grasso created Operation Fuel, intended to provide relief for residents who fell through the gaps of government assistance programs.
In 1983, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Public Act 83-505 mandating gas and electric companies serving more than 75,000 customers to provide an opportunity for their customers to add one dollar to their monthly bill payment, with the contributions forwarded to Operation
Fuel. These funds were, and are, to be used solely for direct assistance to Connecticut households.
The effective date of the Add-a-Dollar program was October 1, 1983. During the 1989 legislative session, Public Act 83-505 was amended to delete reference to the Christian Conference of Connecticut (which had been the operator of the Operation Fuel program prior to its attainment of independent 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status), and to designate Operation Fuel, Inc. as the recipient and administrator of Add-a-Dollar funds. During the 2006 legislative season, the law was amended again to provide an opportunity for customers to contribute more than one dollar and to mandate participation by municipal utilities.