Wednesday, January 16, 2008                                           Contact: Andrea Wuebker/Laena Fallon (GREGG)

                                                                                                Barbara Riley/Liz Chamberlain (SUNUNU)

GREGG AND SUNUNU ANNOUNCE EMERGENCY LIHEAP FUNDS RELEASED

Assistance available to help NH families pay home heating costs this winter

            WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu (R-NH) today announced that $5.1 million in emergency funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) have been released and will be made available to help families in New Hampshire pay for the costs of heating their homes this winter.

            Passed in December, the fiscal year 2008 Omnibus spending bill contained nearly $2.6 billion in funding for LIHEAP to provide federal energy assistance to low-income families and seniors in need. Of the $2.6 billion, $586 million was designated as emergency funds to help provide immediate resources to states facing severe cold temperatures this winter, enabling them to make available heating assistance for the most vulnerable in their communities.

            Senator Gregg stated, “As the snow continues to pile up and home heating costs continue to soar, today’s release of emergency LIHEAP funds comes at a critical time and will help ensure that families and seniors who are struggling to stay warm this winter are not left out in the cold. This emergency funding will provide much needed assistance to those in need across our state, and I will continue working with my Senate colleagues on additional ways that we can help.”

            Senator Sununu stated, “The release of these contingency funds underscores the administration’s recognition of the importance of helping individual and families who are facing a harsh winter and working so hard to meet the cost of high fuel bills. New Hampshire residents can be assured that I will continue to strongly support LIHEAP block grant and contingency funding as I have since my election to Congress. The program plays a critical role in ensuring that low-income individuals and families are able to heat their homes and stay warm.”

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that American household expenditures for all heating fuels are estimated to increase by 11 percent this winter compared to last (2006-2007), and the average household expenditure for heating oil in the Northeast are estimated to increase more than 38 percent this winter. Gregg and Sununu announced last week that the state of New Hampshire would receive $2.3 million in LIHEAP funding. Including today’s announcement, New Hampshire will have received a total of $19 million for this fiscal year.