NEFI: Senators Call for Release from Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve

New England senators sent a bipartisan letter to the Biden administration “calling for federal action to help bring down heating costs for households in our region, including releasing stockpiles from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve,” reports NEFI in its newsletter.

The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve (NHHOR) is a one-million barrel supply of ultra-low sulfur distillate set aside to protect homes and businesses in case a supply disruption occurs during the heating season, Jim Collura, NEFI vice president and director of government affairs, reports in the NEFI Energy Online News (NEON). The reserve was last tapped in November 2012 in response to Hurricane Sandy, Collura reports.

The letter was signed by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ed Markey (D-MA).

Though the National Energy & Fuels Institute was not involved in the drafting of the letter, Collura writes, the Institute has been in “frequent communications with the Department of Energy on this matter and we expect to be informed about any release from the NHHOR.” To help ensure a continuous supply of product this winter, NEFI has supported numerous recommendations supported by New England senators, Collura notes, including a call for $500 million in additional funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and various forms of regulatory relief.