The plan could involve directing revenue from future crude oil sales of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to purchase heating oil for the reserves, two of the sources said.
The administration is also considering whether to purchase diesel supplies and make them available to companies, a move that would keep supplies in the United States and out of the export market, the sources said.
The United States entered the winter season with historically low levels of diesel, unnerving White House officials who spent the past year trying to dampen soaring gasoline prices. White House officials have held at least two meetings with members of the oil industry to discuss ways to increase supplies of diesel.
After months of public spats, the two sides have described recent talks as more constructive.
Diesel is a workhorse of the economy, helping power most major industries and fueling deliveries of goods by truck, rail and ship.
Nearly one in five homes in the northeast use diesel as a heating oil. The cost to heat a residence using diesel is projected to increase 27% over last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency's winter outlook.
The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve currently holds roughly 1 million barrels, or enough for roughly 10 days of supply. It has not been tapped since 2012, when it was used to provide fuel to emergency responders in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
The White House and the Department of Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The administration has repeatedly urged the oil industry to boost inventories of gasoline and diesel, even threatening to limit exports to boost domestic supplies.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Chris Reese and Marguerita Choy)
By Jarrett Renshaw and Timothy Gardner
