MAINE PUBLIC • September 28, 2026
The community action program that serves Aroostook, Washington and Hancock Counties said it is getting up to 200 voicemails a day from residents who are anxious about how they will pay their fuel bills this winter. Some are reporting that their fuel tanks are empty. "We've had some households that have been without fuel for over a month and are just at the critical point that it's starting to become unbearable," Parent said. Heating oil prices in Maine have now topped six dollars a gallon. Maine's U.S. senators have unsuccessfully urged the Trump administration to release HEAP funds early this year.