"It is encouraging news that the Administration has agreed to our request to release these funds," said Senator Collins. "I hear time and again how difficult it is for Mainers to afford heating their homes. This program is more important than ever to providing relief to struggling families during these tough economic times."
Senator Collins joined several Senate colleagues in writing to the President earlier this month and urging him to release additional emergency assistance. Last month, the President signed an omnibus appropriations bill that includes $5.1 billion for LIHEAP for Fiscal Year 2010-the highest funding level in the history of the program. Of that, Maine has already received $13 million in base LIHEAP funding for this winter. Today's announcement provides an additional $4.8 million for the state to help families afford heating their homes.
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.