Gov. Janet Mills is calling on Congress to give a $3 billion boost to federal heating assistance.
That comes as Maine grapples with skyrocketing heating oil prices, which hit a record high of $6.05 a gallon two weeks ago. The most recent statewide average is 79% higher than this time last year.
Approximately half of all Maine homes use oil as their primary heating source, making the state particularly vulnerable to such price shocks.
“No one should be cold in their homes because Trump decided to wage an unnecessary, unwanted war with Iran,” Mills said in a statement. “That’s why I’m joining my fellow New England governors to call on Congress to release billions in federal funding for LIHEAP to provide immediate relief for vulnerable families as winter approaches.”
In a Monday letter to Congress, Mills joined New England’s other governors to call for the supplemental heating assistance, either through an annual appropriation increase or one-time emergency funding. She sent a similar letter to Maine’s congressional delegation in October.
The Trump administration released about $37 million in low-income heating assistance for Maine in October, one of the earliest releases in the program’s history. An additional $1.4 million was awarded to the state’s four federally recognized tribes.
But the National Energy Assistance Directors Association projects that heating oil prices will increase by 50% this winter. The governors warned that would erode the purchasing power of existing federal aid.
“While our states are working to mitigate the immediate impact of rising energy costs on vulnerable households and continue to invest heavily in energy efficiency, weatherization, and other long-term solutions, these efforts cannot fully offset the immediate financial pressures facing families this winter,” the New England governors wrote.
The Mills administration has taken steps to ease the financial strain of higher energy costs, including enrolling Mainers who receive public health insurance and food or heating assistance in an electric bill discount program and sending $300 checks to 500,000 Mainers.
Oil prices have increased globally since February, when the Iran war effectively halted fuel shipments out of the Strait of Hormuz, a site of passage for a fifth of the world’s natural gas and oil. Russia and Ukraine have carried out attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure, and Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have attacked Saudi energy sites, further straining global fuel supplies.
Rising energy costs were one factor in turning many voters against Republicans in the midterm elections, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ defeat.
Eligibility for federal heating assistance is based on income, household size and resource availability. Applications are available online or through local community action agencies.