Kuster introduces legislation to reduce home heating oil costs in New Hampshire, prevent supply shortages
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), a senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced legislation to address home heating oil shortages for this upcoming winter and control costs into the future. The Home Heating Oil Price Reduction Act would quadruple the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve (NEHHOR) from 1 million to 4 million barrels to increase available supply in the region and help control price volatility.
Earlier this month, Rep. Kuster urged the Biden administration to release inventory from the NEHHOR ahead of the cold fall and winter months to increase available heating oil supplies. Kuster also pushed to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides crucial assistance to help New Hampshire households in need afford their energy bills.
“Families in New Hampshire and across the country are grappling with high energy costs,” Kuster said. “That’s why I have called on the Biden administration to release home heating oil supplies as soon as possible to ease the burden on Granite Staters as we enter the cold winter months. We must still go further which is why I’m introducing the Home Heating Oil Price Reduction Act today to ensure that when the Biden administration releases inventory from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, there will be enough supply to swiftly provide relief to households in New Hampshire. I am committed to continuing to fight high costs and reduce energy prices in our state.”
Kuster has been a steadfast advocate for Granite Staters to address rising prices at the grocery store and the gas pump. Earlier this year, Kuster confronted big oil company executives during an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, where she pressed the CEOs on their business practices and the fossil fuel industry’s role in rising gas prices. She also helped to pass the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, which would grant the president the power to issue an emergency proclamation outlawing the sale of consumer fuels at artificially high prices.