Record-High Heating Oil Prices Are Closing Argument in Maine Senate RaceThe Iran War is driving Maine heating oil prices through the roof, leaving Mainers in dire straits days ahead of the U.S. Senate election.
The state of Maine shattered another statewide record for heating oil prices this week. On October 29, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER)’s weekly survey showed average statewide heating fuel prices rising to $6.05 per gallon as of October 26. This broke the previous record average statewide prices of $6.04 set on October 22, and $6.02 per gallon on September 21. The record-shattering heating prices are taking their toll on Mainers ahead of the midterm elections on November 3. Roughly half of Mainers rely on heating oil as their principal energy source in winter—compared with just 3% nationwide—meaning Mainers face an increase of thousands of dollars in heating. The heating oil price hikes are directly affected by the war in Iran and closure of the strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly 20% to 25% of the world’s seaborne oil and petroleum product flow. Sen. Susan Collins voted to extend U.S. military operations in Iran five times since February 2026. Canvassers across the state are hearing that heating oil is a top issue for Maine voters in the Senate race. Azalea Cormier, who lives in Buckfield, told Drop Site she’d “knocked on over 1,000 doors this election cycle” as an Independent candidate for Maine’s House of Representatives in a deep red district. She is also supporting Troy Jackson’s campaign, and said “heating oil and gas is on everyone’s mind.” “I seldom have conversations with people where either heat or transportation costs don’t come up,” Cormier said. “Lots of homes in my area in Western Maine have windowsills missing, trim falling off, siding gone or rotting. Many of the homes were built in the mid-1900s and have pretty noticeable degrees of damage. With the cold winter climate, and year-round moisture, these issues compound. The house gets more drafty in the winter, and it means an increased heating oil cost.” Cormier says it is typical for elderly folks living on fixed incomes in these historic farmhouses to insulate the kitchen and living room to save on heating costs, but she hasn’t seen that happening this year in her community. She believes this means the homeowners are trying to avoid heating altogether in an “attempt to moderate their budgets.” Laurie Ellen Hudson, a 70-year-old widow living in the Western Maine town of Paris, told Drop Site her recent relocation to a “new house with oil heat” has been devastating to her finances. “I still don’t have a woodstove hooked up or firewood, which I’m used to doing, so I’m relying on oil heat. I have less than 100 gallons in my tank. It cost 80% more than usual,” Hudson said. “I don’t know when my heat will run out and I don’t have any other options.” Hudson is hoping “some money comes down the pipe” from the government to help cover her costs. She is currently borrowing money from a friend she described as “not well off and older” to cover her heating oil bills. Past that, she has no viable plans to pay for heating. Another homeowner in Central Maine who shared their bills with Drop Site paid $6.11 per gallon. The receipts, almost exactly a year apart for an identical purchase, show an increase of 121% to refill a 215-gallon heating oil tank. An average Maine homeowner fills their tank at least four to five times a winter, translating to a cost of $5,120 to $6,400, an increase of $3,000-$4,000, during a dire affordability crisis. Union members and community volunteers with the Maine AFL-CIO have knocked on over 35,000 doors and had over 10,000 conversations with Maine voters since Troy Jackson became the democratic nominee. “Heating oil costs and the general cost of living are the top concerns our union canvassers are hearing from voters at their doors,” Andy O’Brien, the Maine AFL-CIO Communications Director told Drop Site. “Maine is the most dependent on heating oil of any state in the nation so when prices spike over $6 a gallon, that really makes a serious dent in household budgets, especially for elderly folks on fixed incomes. Many Mainers are barely getting by in this economy and simply can’t afford to pay another $800 to fill their tanks.” Aurora Green, a labor organizer and president of the Maine Graduate Student Workers Union, told Drop Site she has knocked on doors across the state from the Northern Maine town of East Millinocket to the affluent Southern Maine town of Kennebunk with Maine’s labor movement. “I keep hearing the same thing: people cannot keep up with the rising costs of heating oil and gasoline, and Mainers are becoming desperate,” Green said. “My neighbors have described hazardous ways which they plan on heating their homes because they simply cannot afford heating oil. One person I canvassed told me that they paid over $1,000 last week to fill their tank.” While canvassing, Green said many people “understand the ongoing conflict in Iran has directly led to rising oil and gasoline prices.” O’Brien agreed, telling Drop Site it’s “no mystery” why heating oil costs have been rising exponentially, citing Susan Collins’ role in allowing President Trump to attack Iran without planning for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Of the 14 times Democrats forced the Senate to vote on Iran war powers measures since the conflict began in February, Collins voted five times against failed resolutions. She said after the first vote on March 4 that the move “would send the wrong message to Iran and to our troops.” The high cost of heating oil has been directly linked to blockages of the Strait of Hormuz following the U.S.-Israel initiation of war with Iran in February. Jackson has jumped at the opportunity to attack Collins’s role in increasing heating oil prices by backing Trump’s war. Earlier this week, when Collins released a controversial attack ad through her surrogate Bill Green saying, “we’re not talking about buying a cord of wood here, we’re sending someone to the U.S. senate,” Jackson quickly pivoted the conversation to heating oil prices. “Senator Collins, I think you are a little out of touch. This is about a cord of wood—and about Mainers struggling to afford to heat their homes this winter. I know what it’s like to run out of fuel. I’ve lived that struggle,” Jackson’s campaign posted in response on Twitter. “That’s the experience I’ll take to the U.S. Senate. And I’ll use it to fight for working people.” More on the Midterms from Drop Site News:
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