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Happy Thursday!

The Trump administration has made numerous moves in recent days to address rising energy costs stemming from the president’s war with Iran.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began promoting a new $8 billion fund to give one-time payments to fishermen and farmers who have been hard hit by spiking prices for diesel, which in Maine went Wednesday for $6.43 a gallon, up 66% from a year ago.

Then, on Wednesday, the Trump administration tapped the Northeast heating oil reserves for only the second time in their 26-year history. The stockpile was last tapped in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy devastated the Northeast.

That will inject approximately 315,000 barrels, or 13.2 million gallons, into the market.

While public officials like Gov. Janet Mills and U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King welcomed the move, Mills and King stressed the need for long-term solutions, especially before winter sets in.

Heating oil is going for an average of $5.97 a gallon in Maine, up 80% from a year ago. That means Mainers will spend an additional $731.50 to fill a standard 275-gallon tank.

It’s unclear how this latest move from the administration will affect prices. More than 300,000 households rely on heating oil to stay warm and will consume between 2 and 7 gallons a day. Assuming those households consume 5 gallons a day (1.5 million gallons), the heating oil from the Northeast stockpile would last about nine days.

Of course, Maine isn’t the only state that needs those reserves.

Beyond the conflict with Iran, intensified fighting between Ukraine and Russia and Yemen’s Houthis and Saudi Arabia threaten to further strain global energy supply chains.

Mild temperatures are continuing to stick around, with highs ranging from the low 50s up north to the low 60s down south. Gusty winds move in later today and will stick around into the weekend, along with our dry weather, delaying any relief from the lingering drought.

A Susan Collins campaign stop exposes Maine’s split between anger and exhaustion

Protesters hold signs depicting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh outside U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ campaign stop at Simones’ Hot Dog Stand in Lewiston on Wednesday. Credit: Benjamin Kail / BDN

Simones’ Hot Dog Stand in Lewiston is known for its red snappers and, through some turn of tradition, as a campaign stop for politicians. Accordingly, it’s a good place to take the political temperature ahead of Election Day.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins dropped by Wednesday, joined by former U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who aimed to give her a boost in a heated race with Democrat Troy Jackson.

Protesters with signs depicting Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s face picketed and chanted outside the hot dog stand while red-shirted Collins supporters chanted back to drown them out. 

As BDN politics writer Benjamin Kail reports, the event brought into focus the anger, enthusiasm and apathy that the tight race may hinge on.

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From the Opinion Page

Central Maine Medical Center nurses rally at an informational picket, Sept. 22, to speak out about patient safety, the lack of enough patient supplies and better pay and benefits. Credit: Maine Public

“Rather than paying a small fortune to recruit nurses from out of state, CMMC could reinstate experienced nurses who already know the hospital, its patients, and the community it serves.”

Opinion: Rather than trying to recruit new nurses, CMMC should reinstate those who already worked there