On Wednesday, July 28, LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) advocates and recipients from around the country will travel to Capitol Hill to educate Congress about the program and advocate for full program funding—$5.1 billion—in fiscal year (FY) 2011.

Since its inception in 1981, LIHEAP has served as the primary federal program providing energy assistance to low-income and vulnerable households, including senior citizens and disabled veterans. While LIHEAP provides critical short-term aid to at-risk citizens across the country, only one in five eligible households is served by the program.

Currently, LIHEAP funding is threatened by a drastically lower budget request—the President’s FY2011 budget request is $3.3 billion, compared to FY2010's $5.1 billion appropriation—making this year’s LIHEAP Action Day more important than ever. As the nation tries to recover from one of the worst economic periods since the Great Depression, now is not the time to cut energy assistance benefits to those who need it most.

 

This year marks the 8th annual LIHEAP Action Day. Participants will once again stress the need for both heating and cooling assistance. Over the past seven years, a bipartisan consensus has helped LIHEAP grow from a regional program focusing on heating assistance in cold weather states with a crisis component for hot weather emergencies, into a nationwide program providing resources to serve all regions of the country. LIHEAP Action Day participants include representatives from consumer advocacy groups, fuel funds and other non-profits, electric and gas utility companies, and local, state, and Tribal governments.

 

• For additional information about LIHEAP Action Day, contact Tracey Parker, 202-508-5051 or tparker@eei.org.
• Learn more about LIHEAP.