Golden Continues to Push Biden Administration for Concrete Plan to Keep Maine Homes Heated

WASHINGTON - Today Congressman Jared Golden (ME-01) joined Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), and Chris Pappas (NH-01) in sending a letter to President Biden and the U.S. Department of Energy urging them to work with Congress to proactively address natural gas and diesel supply shortages in the Northeast and rising energy costs and develop a plan to prevent rolling blackouts should the region experience frigid temperatures this winter.

"Widespread reporting indicates that the Northeast may not have sufficient fuel supply in the event of severe cold weather this winter, and if last week’s frigid temperatures and major snowstorms are any indication, it will be a long, cold winter resulting in rolling blackouts across the region, leaving millions of families in the dark and cold," the Members wrote. "It is imperative that your Administration is working proactively with Congress to ensure that winter electricity reliability in the most densely populated area of the United States is available to meet the power demand necessary to avoid devastating consequences for the people and businesses across the region."

Heating oil prices across the Northeast are at historical highs, exceeding $5 per gallon in Maine. Additionally, the lack of pipeline infrastructure in the Northeast region, limited shipments of foreign sourced LNG resulting from the war in Ukraine, the closure of coal, oil, and natural gas refineries, and the looming rail strike could lead to dire circumstances in the event of extreme weather.

The Members continued: "We are requesting that your Administration, led by the Secretary of Energy, present Congress with a comprehensive plan so we may ensure our constituents that concrete solutions are in place, and they will not be left in the dark this winter...To be effective, these actions will require complex planning and far-reaching communication efforts involving all relevant federal agencies and state and local parties should they be put into place… At a minimum, we ask that you and the Secretary of Energy ensure any Northeast fuel reserves released remain in the region and not be shipped overseas to the highest bidder. We understand the importance of assisting our allies in Europe; however, we must prioritize the well-being of our constituents given the realities we face at home."

Golden has also been working to lower oil and gas prices since fall 2021 and has consistently led his colleagues in Congress to push back against the administration and call on the White House to take more aggressive action to increase domestic energy production. In July, he and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) led a bipartisan, bicameral push to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps over 5.3 million households nationwide afford their energy bills. He introduced bipartisan legislation to increase funding for the program by $4 billion this fiscal year. In September, Golden helped secure $1 billion in supplemental appropriations for the program in a short term government funding bill.

He has also pressed the administration to adopt his bipartisan, multi-pronged proposal to boost energy production and boost supply, called for the suspension of the federal gas tax to help consumers save at the pump, and advocated for opening or expediting approval pipelines like Keystone, Dakota Access, and Mountain Valley. 

Read the letter HERE. 

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