Maine’s Congressional Delegation Protests Changes in LIHEAP Funding

Posted by Michael Hoven on February 8, 2010 at 3:38 pm

Sens. Snowe and Collins of Maine say LIHEAP distribution penalizes cold weather states. (image: AP via wafb.com)

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) released a statement Wednesday that criticized the Obama administration for proposing a $1.8 billion cut in funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and for slashing Maine’s allotment of this year’s LIHEAP money by nearly 80 percent. Other members of Maine’s congressional delegation, including Sen. Susan Collins (R), Rep. Chellie Pingree (D), and Rep. Mike Michaud (D), have joined Snowe in characterizing the distribution of LIHEAP funds as unfairly skewed toward Southern states and away from cold weather states like Maine.

This year Maine received $4.7 million in LIHEAP funding, a far cry from last year’s $29.7 million. According to a press release issued by Snowe’s office, the method of distributing LIHEAP funds has been changed to favor states whose temperatures are colder than usual, rather than states with the absolute lowest temperatures. Florida, Alabama, and Texas are among the states that have benefited from this, but Snowe says their gains have been at the expense of states where harsh winters are typical. Rep. Pingree also criticized the LIHEAP formula for weighing changes in unemployment rather than absolute unemployment. Maine “already had a high unemployment rate,” said Pingree, but the state was slighted because its unemployment rate had not climbed substantially.

Snowe called for a reexamination of the methodology used to apportion funding, and said the cuts seen in cold weather states show “a lack of understanding of the LIHEAP program.” New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have also received less LIHEAP money this year.

Contingents in both the Senate and the House, including members of Congress from Maine, have written letters to the president asking for additional emergency funds and for a reconsideration of the method used to determine distribution of LIHEAP funds.