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APGA Joins Forces with National Coalition to Advocate for LIHEAP Funding

By Joshua St.Pierre posted 08-10-2023 12:25 PM

  
Congress is well into its August recess, and many legislators are hearing from their constituents on a number of issues in their home states and districts. APGA has joined with the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC) to support efforts to educate about the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) during this recess. NEUAC is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., whose primary goal is to raise awareness and support for the energy needs of income-constrained energy consumers across the country. APGA works closely with the group throughout the year to advocate for adequate funding and awareness of LIHEAP, a program that provides critical financial assistance to low-income Americans with their energy bills. This program is particularly important to APGA member utilities, who, as not-for-profits, are already driven to provide affordable, reliable energy to their customers.  
 
NEUAC states, “LIHEAP is a critical, lifesaving program that targets and serves the most vulnerable — older Americans, individuals with disabilities, and children. The majority of these families and individuals survive on less than $20,000 per year; many are on fixed incomes. Their pay does not increase when the cost of heating and cooling their homes increases.”
 
This month, NEUAC, along with APGA, hopes to encourage policymakers to continue appropriate funding of the program. APGA recently signed onto a letter that the organization sent to House and Senate Appropriations leaders asking them to increase funding for LIHEAP and ensure that Americans in cold-weather states have access to the vital funding that the program provides. APGA staff have also conducted several meetings with offices of House and Senate members to continue discussions on the importance of energy affordability and the tremendous assistance that LIHEAP offers to millions of Americans. 
 
APGA staff was happy to see that initial funding proposals from both House and Senate Appropriators included significant increases compared to fiscal year 2023. While there remains more discussion to be had in both chambers of Congress before final appropriations packages make their way to the President’s desk, APGA and NEUAC will continue to work together in August and in future months to support LIHEAP and other efforts to ensure Americans can afford energy costs. 
 
For questions on this article, please contact Joshua St.Pierre of APGA staff by phone at 202-544-1334 or by email at jstpierre@apga.org. 

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