Could Maine & New Hampshire See A Heating Fuel Shortage?

The latest edition of the Farmer's Almanac is calling for an early start to the winter.  In fact, they are predicting we'll see our first winter storm sometime in October.  It could end up being a long, cold, snowy winter.

These weather predictions, along with inflation and supply chain issues, have many people concerned about how they are going to stay warm this winter.

In fact, some people are concerned that we could see some real serious fuel shortages this coming winter.

According to WABI, diesel and heating oil supplies are at less than 50% of their recent supplies.  Diesel fuel supplies are about 63% less than the five year average.  Heating oil supplies are at about 58% less than the average.

Fortunately, while gasoline supplies are lower than normal, they are not as low as diesel and heating oil supplies.

So, what does this mean?  As the New England states are particularly dependent on heating oil to keep homes and buildings warm during the winter, a nasty cold snap could lead to severe shortages of fuel supplies.

The TV station article explains that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is going to be meeting with the governors of the New England states, along with their energy directors, after Labor Day.  At that time, they will be discussing the situation and preemptive actions they can take leading up to winter.

The article goes on to say:

In the meantime, she has urged governors in a letter to take

whatever steps they can to shore up fuel supplies in coming weeks to prevent any problems.

So, what what happen if there was a shortage?  There is a backup plan in place.  WABI's article explains that the Energy Department does have a northeast heating oil reserve that holds 1 million barrels.  This reserve would be tapped into in an emergency.

What about the other parts of the country?  Outside the New England states, the northern states tend to rely less on heating oil and more on natural gas and electricity for heating.