Brown joins letter urging President to protect ‘energy security’ in Ohio
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in a letter to President Trump, urging his support for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which were both eliminated from the president’s budget blueprint released earlier this month. Last year, LIHEAP provided more than $145 million in assistance to Ohio.
“We remain committed to supporting funding for both programs that serve our nation’s most vulnerable citizens and are deeply concerned that the 2018 Budget Blueprint released earlier this month proposes to eliminate this funding,” the letter said. “As you prepare a more detailed budget submission for later this spring, we again urge you to include funding for LIHEAP and WAP. By doing so, we can strengthen these vital programs that provide energy security to our most vulnerable citizens.”
According to a 2011 study from the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, 72 percent of LIHEAP households have at least one member with a serious medical condition, 26 percent of LIHEAP households have medical equipment that requires the use of electricity, and 20 percent of LIHEAP households include a veteran.
The letter was also signed by Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Edward Markey (D-MA).
Text of the letter to President Trump is included below.
Dear Mr. President:
Earlier this year, we joined a bipartisan group of 45 Senators representing states from Maine to Florida to Alaska urging your support for two successful federal programs that address the energy needs of low-income households throughout the United States: the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Attached is a copy of that letter. We remain committed to supporting funding for both programs that serve our nation’s most vulnerable citizens and are deeply concerned that the 2018 Budget Blueprint released earlier this month proposes to eliminate this funding.
In 2016, more than six million households relied on LIHEAP for their heating, cooling, and electricity needs. LIHEAP is the only federal program that responds to energy emergencies such as heat waves or extreme cold snaps that place an extreme burden on seniors and others living on fixed incomes. The federal investment, coupled with effective state-level decision making, targets limited resources to those most in need. Indeed, more than 70 percent of households receiving LIHEAP have a member under the age of five, over the age of 60, or with a disability. A 2011 study by the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association showed that 72 percent of LIHEAP households have at least one member with a serious medical condition, and 26 percent of LIHEAP households have medical equipment that requires the use of electricity. The same study showed that 20 percent of LIHEAP households include a veteran – and that number is increasing.
A critical partner for LIHEAP is WAP. WAP has served more than seven million eligible households across the country and leads the nation in making residential energy upgrades cost effective, safe, and comprehensive for low-income families and seniors in all 50 states. Weatherization of homes to improve their efficiency can reduce heating costs an average of 30 percent, which represents permanent savings for low-income households who typically spend a far greater percentage of their total annual income on energy than other households. State energy offices use the energy efficiency expertise and aid provided by WAP to implement conservation measures that stretch limited dollars even further. In fact, in 2015, utilities and states supplemented WAP federal funding by providing an additional $883 million, which represents a $4.62 investment for every dollar of federal funding.
As you prepare a more detailed budget submission for later this spring, we again urge you to include funding for LIHEAP and WAP. By doing so, we can strengthen these vital programs that provide energy security to our most vulnerable citizens.
Thank you for your attention to, and consideration of, this important matter.
Sincerely,
