BANGOR, Maine – Mainers, who heavily rely on home heating oil to survive the winter, said they're already being forced to make difficult decisions due to inflation.
"I’m not driving as much," Rebecca, of Bradley, Maine, told Fox News. "Trying to conserve. Filled up our tank early this year anticipating the increase in heating oil."
Households in the Northeast rely on heating oil more than any other region in the U.S., and Maine households use more than any other state, according to the Energy Information Administration. In the Pine Tree state, heating oil is at its highest price in over two years.
Bangor, Maine
"The cost of everything, gas, oil for the house, food, everything," is going up, Dennis, of Bangor, Maine, told Fox News.
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Tom, of Hampden, Maine, said: "I blame policies in Washington, D.C., that come straight from the top."
Tom’s wife Lee said: "Shutting down the [Keystone] pipeline affects us all directly. Then [President Biden] wants … OPEC to sell more oil to us, so what difference does it make what country is doing it?"
Dysart's heating oil truck outside Bangor, Maine (Matt Leach/Fox Digital)
Others told Fox News that the president is not to blame for rising costs.
"Biden’s got nothing to do with it," Dennis said. "No matter who's in office, it don’t change."
Rebecca said: "I don't think Biden's, you know, the only reason things are going up. I think that the president doesn't really have much to do with it."
"Whoever was in office probably will have the same problem at this time," she added.
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Ben, of Winterport, Maine, told Fox News he spends a third of his paycheck on gas to get to and from work. He blamed corporate America for rising costs.
"In my opinion, it's just rich people trying to get richer," Ben said. "There’s no reasoning for it, it’s like, the oil is there, it is available, use it."
Ben from Winterport, Maine, says 'rich people trying to get richer' over oil prices.
Last week, the average cost of heating oil in Maine was $3.16 per gallon, up from $1.90 a year ago. The EIA forecasts it will increase to almost $3.50 by next year.
