Press Releases

LIHEAP funding to help Maine families during winter months
 
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced the release of $13 million in Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding for Maine.  This distribution, for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010, will partially cover the first round of LIHEAP payments that will go out in early November.“LIHEAP is a very important program for Maine. With our long, cold winters, widespread reliance on oil heat and volatile energy prices, LIHEAP assistance can make the difference in staying warm for many Maine families,” Pingree said.  “And helping them with their energy bills allows them to spend money on other things, which helps stimulate the local economy.”
 
Maine officials expect the average benefit to be about $750 for recipients this year.  Last year 61,000 households in Maine received assistance under the program.
 
“LIHEAP is important, and I’m going to continue fighting for all the funding we can get for Maine,” Pingree said.  “But it’s also important to work toward long term solutions to our energy problems.  The Recovery Act we passed this year has money in it to help weatherize homes across the state, which is going to help permanently reduce energy costs for homeowners.”