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New Hampshire to Receive $1.6 Million in LIHEAP Funding Print
Manchester, NH – Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter today announced that New Hampshire will receive $1,621,798 in emergency funding from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). In response to rising fuel prices and continued cold temperatures across much of the country, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released $40 million from the LIHEAP contingency funding that Congress allocated in the 2008 budget.

“I am pleased that Congress has been able to nudge the President in the right direction,” said Congresswoman Shea-Porter. “We are very aware of the difficulties people are facing this year paying their home heating bills, and this release of funds will provide a little more relief. However, I am very concerned about the President's proposed cut in FY09 for LIHEAP and I will continue to advocate for this crucial program.”

Earlier this month, Congresswoman Shea-Porter wrote a letter to the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, urging him to reject the President’s proposed cuts in funding for LIHEAP. In her letter to Chairman Spratt, Shea-Porter called for increased funding to “provide greater assistance to those most in need.”

This is the second time in 2008 that the government has released emergency LIHEAP funding. In January, HHS released $5.1 million for New Hampshire from the contingency fund. According to the Energy Information Administration, the average cost to heat a home with heating oil this winter is expected to climb over $2,000 per family – more than three times the $627 that it cost six years ago.

Congresswoman Shea-Porter has been actively working to increase funding for LIHEAP and to ensure the funds are released promptly to assist families in need. She has also cosponsored a bill to provide an additional $1 billion in funding for LIHEAP this year. The contingency fund currently has $121 million in reserve.

Funding from the federal LIHEAP program supports New Hampshire’s Fuel Assistance Program, which provides heating assistance to low-income families. New Hampshire residents who need assistance with the cost of home heating fuel this winter can contact the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning or visit:

http://www.nh.gov/oep/programs/fuelassistance/contact.htm for more information.