Governors Urge House to Pass Additional $1 Billion for LIHEAP Funding

Governor Douglas and Coalition of Northeastern Governors Urge House to Pass Additional $1 Billion for LIHEAP Funding
Waterbury, VT-The Coalition of Northeastern Governors (CONEG) yesterday (May 29, 2008) urged House leaders to support an additional $1 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), as originally proposed by the Senate, in the FY2008 supplemental appropriations bill.
CONEG, which is chaired by Governor Jim Douglas, is requesting that the House support allocating these funds equally between the regular LIHEAP block grant and emergency contingency programs, and that such funds are released in a timely manner to address the needs of the most vulnerable low-income households in the upcoming cooling and the heating seasons.
"Thanks to financial commitments made by Governor Douglas and the Vermont legislature, our state provides the most generous LIHEAP benefit in the country, averaging approximately $1169 per household. However, we absolutely need the continued support of our federal partners to ensure this program is able to provide relief to the nation's vulnerable, low-income households faced with dramatically increasing home energy bills," said Cynthia D. LaWare, Secretary of the Agency of Human Services.
"Approximately 23,000 households in Vermont receive home heating assistance through LIHEAP. This additional funding is vital to supporting our efforts to ensure all eligible Vermonters receive the significant benefit we have been able to provide," added Pam Dalley, Fuel Assistance Program Chief at the Department for Children and Families.
LIHEAP funding is targeted to low-income households that are especially hard hit by high home energy costs. The demand for this highly effective program continues to increase, but the steady rise in prices for home heating fuels has lessened the purchasing power of the LIHEAP dollar. As a result, the average LIHEAP benefit nationwide has decreased since 2006.