Maine’s heating oil prices remain 80% higher than a year ago.
The average cost for a gallon of heating oil is $5.97, unchanged since the week before, according to the Maine Department of Energy Resources.
That’s also lower than last month’s record high of $6.02.
Still, this time last year the average cost for a gallon of heating oil was $3.31, meaning the price is 80% higher.
That means it will cost Mainers an additional $731.50 to fill a standard 275-gallon tank.
In eastern and Down East Maine, prices range from a low of $5.50 to a high of $6.30.
The skyrocketing cost of heating oil has been fueled by President Donald Trump’s ongoing war against Iran, which effectively halted fuel shipments out of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s natural gas and oil passes. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine also has strained global fuel supplies.
Maine is particularly vulnerable to such price shocks, because the state is heavily reliant on heating oil to keep warm during the winter.
This month, the Trump administration released about $37 million in low-income heating assistance to help Mainers stay warm during the coming winter. An additional $1.4 million was awarded to the state’s four federally recognized tribes.