The six New England governors are asking Congress to add $3 billion to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, bringing this year’s funding to $7 billion as households brace for steep winter heating bills.

The letter went to House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole and Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins and was signed by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott.

The governors point to energy-market pressures tied to the war in Iran and Russia’s ban on diesel exports after Ukrainian attacks on refineries; the National Energy Assistance Directors Association estimates heating oil could cost 50% more than last winter.

The squeeze is especially acute in Maine, where about half of homes use heating oil and the average price reached $6.04 a gallon last month; Massachusetts prices stood at $5.94 a gallon on November 9, more than $2 above a year earlier.

The governors warn that rising prices are eroding the value of existing aid, potentially forcing states to cut benefits or serve fewer eligible households.

That leaves seniors on fixed incomes, families with young children and people with disabilities at risk of having to choose between keeping their homes safely warm and meeting other basic needs.

The governors want Congress to act quickly, either through a larger annual appropriation or one-time emergency funding, to help households manage heating and cooling costs as other essential expenses rise.

Kelly Ayotte said she hopes Congress will move quickly, noting LIHEAP’s bipartisan history; if approved, the increase would double New Hampshire’s expected $30 million allocation.

Demand is already running high in New Hampshire: 21,878 households have applied for assistance and 12,368 have been approved, according to Deputy Energy Commissioner Josh Elliott.

New Hampshire has used $6 million in leftover 2025 grants to increase maximum family assistance by 20% and changed its software to help more households qualify.

Maine is set to receive more than $36 million in LIHEAP funding, released in October, after the previous year’s funding was delayed until December because of a government shutdown.

Other efforts to ease supply pressure include a planned Group of Seven European nations release of 50 million barrels each of diesel and crude oil and a U.S. Department of Energy release of 315,000 barrels from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve.