An Open Letter to Congressional Appropriations Committees in Support of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Dear House
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An Open Letter to Congressional Appropriations Committees In Support of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Dear House and Senate Appropriators: The National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition and our national, state, and local partners – including charitable organizations, energy providers, fuel funds, faith-based organizations, trade associations, and others – are writing to urge you to make the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) a top priority in the FY19 Labor-HHS-Education funding bill. Sufficiently funded, LIHEAP serves a vital, life-saving role, protecting millions from America’s cold winters and increasingly hot summers. Robust funding is necessary if LIHEAP is to continue to provide states and charities the resources to serve your most vulnerable constituents. Please protect LIHEAP from damaging cuts and ensure service continuity to vulnerable Americans who desperately need this program’s services. LIHEAP is an efficient and effective program. It supports local community-based programs that assist thousands of constituents in your own district, including the elderly, disabled, unemployed, and families with young children. In FY16, more than 70 percent of the 6+ million households helped by LIHEAP had at least one vulnerable person. Congress limits LIHEAP eligibility to households earning no more than 150 percent of the federal poverty level or 60 percent of the state median income. For reference, the FY17 federal poverty guideline for a family of three was $30,240. Most LIHEAP recipients fall well below either threshold and many applicants are turned away each year due to insufficient program funds. In 2017, the national poverty rate was 12.7 percent and 40.6 million Americans lived in poverty, according to U.S. Census data. There’s no question that the need for LIHEAP persists. The Federal Reserve reports that nearly half of American families would struggle to pay emergency expenses of just $400. LIHEAP can avert energy disconnections, help restore energy service, and ease energy burdens for those in need while improving the energy efficiency of households nationwide. Between FY09 and FY17, LIHEAP’s appropriation fell 35 percent. We understand that Congress must make difficult budget decisions, but reducing LIHEAP funding is not the answer. We strongly urge you to protect LIHEAP funding in FY19 or improve funding, as the House proposed in FY17. Signatures captured electronically, and following herewith. The 2019 All Parties Letter reached a count of 942 organization signatures. The letter closed for signatures on April 6th. Organization by State (and National) Count National 25 Alliance for Deaf Services 1 Alliance for Green Heat 1 American Gas Association 1 American Public Gas Association 1 American Public Power Association 1 B'nai B'rith International 1 Coalition on Human Needs 1 Edison Electric Institute 1 Environmental Defense Fund 1 National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd 1 National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) 1 National Association of Area Agencies on Aging 1 National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP) 1 National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners 1 National Association of Social Workers 1 National Community Action Foundation 1 National Consumer Law Center 1 National Council on Aging 1 National Development Council 1 National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition 1 National Housing Trust 1 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association 1 Natural Resources Defense Council 1 Petroleum Marketers Association of America 1 Volunteers of America 1 Alabama 14 Alabama Propane Gas Association 1 Baldwin County Electric Membership Cooperative 1 Catholic Social Services of Baldwin/Escambia County 1 Clarke‐Mobile Counties Gas District 1 Ecumenical Ministries 1 Huntsville Utilities 1 Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity 1 Macon‐Russell Community Action Agency, Inc. 1 Montgomery Community Action Committee & Community Development Corporation, Inc. 1 Pea River Electric Cooperative 1 Spire 1 United Cherokee AniYunWiYa Nation 1 Walker County Community Action Agency, Inc. 1 Wiregrass Electric Cooperative 1 Alaska 7 Alaska Power Association 1 Association of Village Council Presidents 1 Chuathbaluk Traditional Council 1 Native Village of Chuathbaluk 1 Orutsararmiut Traditional Native Council 1 Orutsararmuit Native Council 1 Yakutat Tlingit Tribe 1 American Samoa 1 Territorial Energy Office, American Samoa Government 1 Arizona 8 Arizona Community Action Association 1 Arizona Municipal Power Users Association 1 Department of Family Services 1 Interfaith Community Services 1 Mercy Housing 1 Salt River Project 1 San Carlos Apache Tribe 1 Southeast Arizona Economic Development Group 1 Arkansas 8 Black Hills Energy 1 Central Arkansas Development Council 1 Dollar Energy Fund 1 Entergy Arkansas, Inc. 1 Environmental Defense Fund (Arkansas Chapter) 1 Murray Development 1 The Salvation Army Arkansas Oklahoma Division 1 Watershed Human & Community Development Agency Inc 1 California 40 Association of California Community & Energy Services 1 Campesinos Unidos, Inc. 1 Central Coast Energy Services, Inc. 1 Central Valley Opportunity Center 1 Community Action Agency of Butte County, Inc. 1 Community Action of Ventura County 1 Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County 1 Community Resource Project 1 Dollar Energy Fund 1 El Dorado County Health and Human Services 1 Enterprise Rancheria Estom Yumeka Maidu 1 Environmental Defense Fund (California Chapter) 1 Glenn County Health and Human Services Agency 1 Golden State Power Cooperative 1 Great Northern Services 1 Inyo Mono Advocates for Community Action, Inc. 1 Lassen Economic Development Corporation 1 Law Office of Emily Fisher 1 Merced County Community Action Agency 1 Mercy Housing 1 North Coast Energy Services, Inc. 1 Orange County United Way 1 Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE) 1 Pacific Gas and Electric Company 1 Pacific Power 1 Placer Independent Resource Services 1 Plumas County Community Development Commission 1 Plumas‐Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative 1 Project GO, Inc. 1 Sacramento Municipal Utility District 1 Sacred Heart Community Service 1 San Diego Gas & Electric 1 San Francisco Peninsula Energy Services 1 Self‐Help Home Improvement Project 1 Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Justice Team 1 SoCal Gas 1 Spectrum Community Services, Inc. 1 The Greenlining Institute 1 The Utility Reform Network 1 Voces Verdes 1 Colorado 54 Almost Home, Inc. 1 Archdiocesan Housing 1 Atmos Energy 1 Aurora Interfaith Community Services 1 Black Hills Energy 1 Boulder County AIDS Project (BCAP) 1 Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado 1 Broomfield Fellowship in Serving Humanity‐Feeding Families and Fueling Hope 1 Catholic Charities of Denver 1 Clear Creek County Department of Health and Human Services 1 Colorado Fiscal Institute 1 Colorado Office of Consumer Counsel 1 Colorado Rural Electric Association 1 Community Ministry of Southwest Denver 1 Community Partnership Family Resource Center 1 Cooperating Ministry of Logan County 1 Discover Goodwill 1 Douglas/Elbert Task Force 1 Emergency Family Assistance Association 1 Energy Outreach Colorado 1 Energy Resource Center 1 Environmental Defense Fund (Colorado Chapter) 1 Evergreen Christian Outreach 1 Family Promise of Colorado Springs 1 First Mennonite Church of Denver Assistance Program 1 First United Methodist Church Rocky Ford 1 Focus Points Family Resource Center 1 Goodwill Industries of Denver 1 Grand Valley Catholic Outreach 1 Help the Needy of Teller County 1 Home Comfort Insulation Services 1 Jewish Family Service 1 La Junta Associated Charities, Inc. 1 La Puente Home, Inc. 1 Low‐Income Energy Assistance Program ‐ Colorado Springs, Colorado 1 Mercy Housing 1 Metro West Housing Solutions (MWHS) 1 Mi Casa Resource Center 1 Mosaic Property Management 1 National Public Gas Agency 1 Proctor Community Enterprises 1 Rural Communities Resource Center 1 Salvation Army 1 San Juan County Social Services 1 Senior Support Services 1 Seniors' Resource Center ‐ Evergreen 1 Sister Carmen Community Center 1 The Salvation Army 1 The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Denver Metro Council 1 Town of Genoa 1 Tri‐County Family Care Center, Inc. 1 Valley Assisted Living and Home Care 1 Washington County Connections 1 Xcel Energy 1 Connecticut 12 Connecticut Association for Community Action 1 Connecticut Energy Marketers Association 1 Connecticut Legal Services, Inc. 1 Connecticut Natural Gas 1 Dollar Energy Fund 1 Eversource Energy 1 New England Fuel Institute 1 Northeast Public Power Association 1 Northwest Corner Fuel Bank 1 Social Services, Town of Sherman 1 Southern Connecticut Gas 1 The United Illuminating Company 1 Delaware 3 Delmarva Power 1 Springpoint Senior Living 1 Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives 1 District of Columbia 3 Office of The People's Counsel of DC 1 PEPCO 1 Washington Gas/WGL 1 Florida 45 Alzheimer's Support Network 1 Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida 1 Catholic Charities DOV, Inc 1 Center for Multicultural Wellness and Prevention 1 Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO) 1 City of North Port Social Services Division 1 Clay County Council on Aging, Inc. 1 Clearwater Gas System 1 Community AIDS Network Community Health 1 Community Coalition on Homelessness dba Turning Points 1 Community Housing Partners 1 Community Vision, Inc. 1 Department of Children and Families 1 Dr. Piper Center for Social Services 1 Duke Energy 1 Florida Association for Community Action