The White House
President George W. Bush
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For Immediate Release
Office of Media Affairs
January 24, 2003

President Boosts Emergency Heating Assistance

WASHINGTON, DC -- President Bush today directed HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson to release an additional $200 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) emergency funds for states, territories and tribes due to continuing increases in home heating fuel prices this winter.  In addition, these funds should enable those states that have been seriously affected by the significantly rising costs of home heating oil to provide substantially more assistance to more eligible households.

“These funds will help keep our fellow citizens warm in a time of great need and bitter cold,” President Bush said today.  “This program is an important source of support for millions of low-income families across the nation.”

Residential heating oil prices this heating season are predicted by the Energy Information Administration to be more than 20% higher than the average of the last five years. 

Today=s $200 million release uses two-thirds of the contingency funds available from prior years.  The remaining $100 million in these contingency funds will be reserved for future energy emergencies, such as unusually severe weather or high home energy prices. 

LIHEAP helps eligible families pay the costs of heating and insulating their homes in the winter, and cooling their homes in the summer.  Approximately 4.6 million low-income households receive assistance each year. 

The state allocations follow.  These allocations reflect the fact that some states have been more significantly affected by increased fuel prices than others in recent weeks.  These totals include funds that will be provided directly to tribes in these states.

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

FY 2003 State Contingency Allotments


State

Total Release

Alabama

$1,091,488

Alaska

1,514,935

Arizona

503,246

Arkansas

793,720

California

5,588,894

Colorado

1,953,881

Connecticut

6,908,830

Delaware

867,954

Dist. of Col.

537,929

Florida

1,942,839

Georgia

1,396,842

Hawaii

130,604

Idaho

1,001,467

Illinois

7,487,253

Indiana

3,961,449

Iowa

2,742,905

Kansas

1,038,859

Kentucky

2,011,539

Louisiana

1,071,167

Maine

5,778,729

Maryland

3,808,774

Massachusetts

12,277,133

Michigan

8,401,042

Minnesota

7,626,531

Mississippi

902,716

Missouri

2,957,449

Montana

1,025,622

Nebraska

1,231,193

Nevada

263,451

New Hampshire

2,951,570

New Jersey

10,356,084

New Mexico

630,990

New York

36,767,194

North Carolina

4,727,244

North Dakota

1,574,315

Ohio

7,797,095

Oklahoma

951,772

Oregon

2,037,124

Pennsylvania

16,469,576

Rhode Island

2,052,509

South Carolina

1,367,982

South Dakota

1,203,869

Tennessee

2,007,525

Texas

2,735,094

Utah

960,157

Vermont

2,128,885

Virginia

4,653,087

Washington

3,189,613

West Virginia

1,429,584

Wisconsin

6,661,621

Wyoming

366,155

Territories

162,514

TOTAL

200,000,000


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