In response to a request from U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Office of Management and Budget today agreed to release $450 million from its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) contingency fund. Of that, Maine is expected to receive $8.8 million to help low income and elderly families who are struggling with record home heating oil prices. An additional $136 million remains in the contingency fund.
“While it is encouraging news that the Administration has agreed to my request to release these funds, the need for additional assistance remains critical,” said Senator Collins. “This winter has brought a sharp increase in applications for LIHEAP assistance, but hundreds of those requests are being turned down due a shortage of funds. I will continue to seek the release of the remaining contingency funds. In addition, I am working with my colleagues to obtain additional emergency LIHEAP funding for this winter in order to help needy families who depend on this assistance”.
Last month, the President signed an omnibus appropriations bill that includes $2.6 billion for LIHEAP for Fiscal Year 2008, a $400 million increase over 2007 levels. Of that, Maine already received approximately $25.5 million in base LIHEAP funding for this winter. Today’s announcement provides an additional $8.8 million for the state to help households deal with record-high oil prices.
On December 19, 2007, Senators Collins and Jack Reed (D-RI), co-chairs of the Senate Northeast-Midwest Coalition, wrote to the President urging him to immediately release additional emergency assistance.
Each year, 4.5 million low-income families, including about 48,000 households in Maine, rely on LIHEAP to assist with the costs of heating their homes. LIHEAP is a federal grant program that provides states with annual funding to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. In addition to helping to pay energy bills for low-income families and the elderly, LIHEAP helps to fund energy crisis intervention programs, low-cost residential weatherization and other energy-related home repairs.