(KTUU) ANCHORAGE, Alaska-- Some state officials have spent the past two days in Emmonak to find out first-hand what the village is battling this winter. Residents of the Southwest village have begged the governor to declare an economic state of emergency. They say that because of the high price of heating oil and poor commercial fishing seasons, they are having to choose between staying warm or buying food. As the state Legislature returns to a new session, one of the first topics of discussion was rural energy. Some villages, including Emmonak, are asking the state for help to heat their homes. "I discovered something here that couldn't stand not be given attention to," said Emmonak resident Nick Tucker. Following a bad salmon season and $9 a gallon for heating oil, Tucker said he and others in Emmonak are struggling to get by. Tucker has been vocal about his village's situation, begging the state for emergency relief.