Democrats ask Biden for another strategic oil release, this time to heat homes in New England
New England Democrats say families at risk this winter without additional supplies
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House Democrats from New England say Russia’s war against Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have created a disruption in global energy markets that warrants the release of supplies from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve (NEHHOR).
That reserve holds about 1 million barrels of home heating oil, and President Biden has the authority to release that supply under certain circumstances. Democrats led by Rep. Lori Trahan, of Massachusetts, say Russia’s war in Ukraine and the pandemic are reason enough to release some oil and help reduce home heating prices for New Englanders as winter approaches.
"These market strains disproportionately impact New England households many of which depend on home heating oil to heat their homes," Trahan and 18 House Democrats from New England states wrote to President Biden in a letter. "Families should not be forced to make hard choices about keeping loved ones warm and healthy and putting food on the table."
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The NEHHOR reserve holds about 1 million barrels of home heating oil, and President Biden has the authority to release that supply under certain circumstances.
Under federal law, Biden has the authority to release NEHHOR supplies if there is a dislocation in the heating oil market that results in certain price changes, or if there is a regional supply shortage that could be addressed by injecting new supply.
Democrats did not argue that prices are rising, and instead told Biden that home heating oil supplies in the Northeast are 63% below their five-year average.
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A driver delivers 8,500 gallons of gasoline at an ARCO gas station in Riverside, California, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes / AP Newsroom)
"Unfortunately, Putin and the COVID pandemic have inflicted a severe energy supply disruption, and with winter approaching it is critical that you quickly release oil from these reserves to help families stay warm this winter," they wrote.
The letter was signed by House Democrats from all six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. NEHHOR home heating oil supplies are stored near Boston, in Groton, Connecticut, and near New York Harbor.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is being blamed for energy supply disruptions that require the release of home heating oil in the Northeast. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP / AP Images)
The request came just after President Biden announced the completion of his decision to release 180 million barrels of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve. That decision has prompted sustained criticism from Republicans who say Biden is improperly using the SPR to reduce gasoline prices just before the midterm elections, when he should instead be expanding domestic oil production.
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Republicans also argue that Biden seems open to refilling the SPR with oil from Venezuela instead of domestic oil, and that Biden is blaming Russia for an inflationary crisis that is the result of his own policies.