In response to a request from U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins, the Office of Management and Budget today agreed to release $131 million that remains in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) contingency fund. Maine will receive $7.2 million—an increase of $144,000 over the amount release from the fund last year.
“We are pleased that the Administration has agreed to our request to release these funds,” said Senators Snowe and Collins. “Despite warm weather this week, Maine is preparing for another cold winter. One of the most important ways to help people get through a long, cold winter is to start making assistance available prior to the arrival of cold weather. The release of these funds will help our neediest citizens fill their oil tanks now, and will be a more efficient use of these funds.”
Each year, 4.5 million low-income families, including about 46,450 households in Maine, rely on LIHEAP to assist with the costs of heating their homes. LIHEAP is a federal block 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.
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