Gov. Janet Mills (D) has “welcomed” the Trump administration's decision to release 315,000 barrels of heating oil from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, following a September request from Sens. Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I).

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the reserve is a one-million-barrel supply intended for use if the region's oil supply is disrupted.

The upcoming release will allow oil companies to bid for 315,000 barrels from the reserve, equivalent to a 13% increase in New England's heating oil supply. The release is expected to help lower costs for Maine consumers.

Oil has been released only twice in the reserve’s 26-year history, and never before to reduce heating fuel prices.

The first release came in 2011 and was intended to replace the reserve with more environmentally friendly oil, not to address an emergency. The most recent release was in 2012 in response to Hurricane Sandy.

Last month, heating fuel in Maine reached a record high of $6.02 per gallon.

The previous record was set in 2022, when prices reached $5.92 per gallon amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Based on calculations for a standard 275-gallon tank, Mainers were expected to pay $740 more per fill-up than at the same time last year.

[RELATED: Heating Fuel Hits Record High of $6.02 Per Gallon]

While praising the decision to release oil from the reserve, Mills also criticized President Trump for the nation’s involvement in Iran, blaming the ongoing conflict for rising prices.

"As President Trump's war abroad drives up the price of gas, kerosene, and heating oil here at home, I welcome this move to release home heating oil from the national reserve, which I hope will provide Maine people with some meaningful financial relief as the seasons change and the cold quickly sets in,” Mills wrote in a press release Wednesday.

“I thank the Congressional Delegation for their advocacy, and I continue to urge them to appropriate additional LIHEAP funding to supplement this move," she added.

"I also want to be clear,” Mills continued, “while we are hopeful this decision will ease prices for Maine people in the near-term, it will not solve the long-term problem driving up costs — the President's war — and Maine people deserve long-term solutions that bring down costs, not just temporary relief from a crisis of the President's own making."

Click Here to Read Gov. Mills’ Full Press Release

Collins and King also both shared statements this week celebrating the administration’s decision.

"Approximately half of Maine households rely on fuel oil to heat their homes, and I have repeatedly urged the administration to use every tool to increase supply and lower energy prices,” Collins said. “The Department anticipates this release will put downward pressure on home heating oil costs and make a real difference for Maine homeowners as they prepare for winter.”

[RELATED: Susan Collins Applauds Release of 315,000 Barrels from Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve]

Like Mills, however, King also urged the administration to keep working to lower prices as winter approaches.

"Maine is one of the most dependent states in the country on home heating oil and the cost is absolutely through the roof,” King said. “This release of stored oil in New England will hopefully be some help. While this is good news, we also want to keep pressuring the Administration to bring those prices down before winter really sets in.”