Maine's two U.S. senators are pressing President Trump to release home heating oil from a federal emergency reserve, citing prices that have surged roughly 74 percent in a single year while global conflicts choke supply lines.
Republican Susan Collins and independent Angus King Jr. sent a joint letter to the president requesting he open the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve before cold weather drives demand even higher. The statewide average price for heating oil in Maine hit $5.77 per gallon as of Sept. 14, according to the Maine Department of Energy Resources, up from $3.32 on September 15, 2025, Fox News Digital reported.
The White House had not responded to the letter or to Fox News Digital's request for comment as of the outlet's publication.
The senators' appeal lands at a moment when fuel costs across the board are punishing household budgets. AAA data showed the national average price for diesel reached $6.5276 per gallon on Tuesday, described as the highest recorded average price, before ticking down slightly to $6.5141 by Thursday. Regular gasoline averaged $4.4825 nationally on Thursday, still below the all-time record of $5.0165 set in June 2022 but high enough to strain working families.
For Mainers who heat with oil, though, the math is far worse. A 74 percent year-over-year jump means a household that spent $2,000 filling its tank last fall could face roughly $3,500 this year, before the first hard freeze.
Collins and King pointed to two overseas conflicts as the primary drivers. In their letter, they wrote:
"The conflict in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine War have prevented additional heating oil from reaching the global market. Maine is particularly vulnerable to global supply shocks because our state imports much of our home heating oil."
Maine's dependence on imported heating oil makes it an outlier even among northeastern states. When global supply tightens, Maine families absorb the hit faster and harder than most of the country.
The letter's language was direct. The senators wrote that they wanted to "release home heating oil from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve to protect Mainers from the very high prices that are imposing a difficult financial burden." The appeal crossed party lines, Collins is a Republican, and King caucuses with Senate Democrats, suggesting both lawmakers view the price spike as an emergency that outweighs partisan positioning.
Collins, a moderate Republican who has served in the Senate for nearly three decades, is running for re-election this cycle. Her willingness to press a Republican president publicly on energy policy reflects the severity of the issue for her constituents. The Maine Senate race has already drawn national attention for its intensity, and heating costs could become a defining kitchen-table issue in the months ahead.
King, meanwhile, sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee and has long focused on energy security. His participation signals that even lawmakers aligned with the Democratic caucus see the reserve release as a legitimate tool rather than a partisan ask.
The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve exists precisely for moments like this, a federal stockpile designed to cushion northeastern states when supply disruptions send prices soaring. The senators did not specify a volume they want released, and the letter's full contents beyond the quoted excerpts have not been made public.
What is clear from the data is the trajectory. A gallon of heating oil in Maine cost $3.32 a year ago. Today it costs $5.77. That is not a modest increase driven by seasonal fluctuation. It is a structural spike tied to global conflict, and it falls hardest on rural households that have no alternative to oil heat and no margin in their budgets to absorb it.
Democrats have poured resources into Maine's Senate contest, backing nominee Troy Jackson against Collins. But energy prices have a way of cutting through campaign messaging. Voters who cannot afford to heat their homes tend to care less about endorsements and more about results.
Jackson himself has faced scrutiny over his record in the state legislature. A cosponsored bill that steered millions to a lobbying client connected to his son raised conflict-of-interest questions, and he has worked to distance himself from socialist-aligned backers as the race has tightened. Against that backdrop, Collins's focus on a concrete pocketbook issue, heating oil families can actually afford, offers a sharp contrast.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Thursday for comment on the senators' request. No response had been reported as of publication. The silence leaves open whether the administration views a reserve release as warranted, or whether it prefers a different approach to addressing the price spike.
The question now is whether the administration will act before winter sets in. The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve is a tool built for exactly this kind of crisis. Using it is not a concession, it is the purpose of the stockpile.
When families in Maine are paying nearly 74 percent more to heat their homes than they did a year ago, the right move is the obvious one. Release the oil, bring the price down, and let working people get through the winter without choosing between warmth and groceries.
