Heating oil prices climb as pressure builds on Trump to respond

Heating oil prices are climbing into the start of the season, and the Haverhill Gazette reports Trump is being urged to act on the spike. It matters to jobbers hauling No. 2 into the Northeast this winter.

The heating oil spike

The call for federal action tells you where the pressure is. Northeast heating oil customers feel a price move fast, and so do the dealers fronting the fuel before the checks come in. When politicians start getting pushed to do something, it usually means retail is running ahead of what households budgeted for.

What that action would be is the open question. There is no detail yet on whether anyone is floating a release from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, a tax move, or just talk. For now it is pressure, not policy.

If you deliver No. 2 in the Northeast, watch your spread between rack and the street. A fast run-up is the moment margins either hold or get squeezed when customers balk at the number on the ticket.

The Provincetown leak

Provincetown firefighters responded to a propane leak around 10 AM Thursday at a condominium complex at 11 Bradford St. Extension. Crews found a 1,000 gallon underground tank leaking and stretched a hose line to knock down the fumes and head off any explosion risk. The local gas company responded and mitigated the leak.

Underground 1,000 gallon tanks at multi-unit residential sites are routine work for propane dealers, and so is the call that comes when one lets go. No injuries reported, no cause given yet. The useful reminder for anyone running a bobtail route is that the fire department response and the gas company response are two different clocks, and the operator is the one expected to show up and make it safe.

The fireplace insert recall

Propane fireplace inserts have been recalled over safety hazards, per NBC Montana, bundled in the same notice as a batch of Avengers medals. No model numbers or manufacturer were given in the report.

For c-store and hardware operators who stock hearth products this time of year, a propane insert recall is worth running down before the cold sets in and these move off the shelf. The detail that matters, which brand and which units, is not in the report yet.

What to watch

Whether the push on Trump turns into any actual move on heating oil, or stays talk. The cause of the Provincetown tank failure, which could point to an install or corrosion issue others should check. And the specific brand and model on the fireplace insert recall, so operators know what to pull.