Today, in a letter to federal officials, Governor Janet Mills requested increased federal funding and expanded eligibility for the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Mills says the request is to “ensure Maine people are able to stay safely warm in their homes this winter.”
Maine is expected to receive $38.7 million in LIHEAP funds for winter 2022. Last year, the program received an additional $55 million through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, which enabled households enrolled in the LIHEAP program to received one and a half tanks of heating oil.
In the letter to the Secretaries of the U.S Departments of Health and Human Services and Energy, Governor Mills emphasized that, with current fuel prices, the funding will leave Mainers enrolled in the program well short of what is needed for winter. “For vulnerable Maine households, this is the difference between having heating security during our coldest months for perhaps only days or weeks, instead of months,” wrote Governor Mills.
Mills also pointed out that Maine is the most heating oil dependent state in the country, at 60 percent compared to the national average of 4 percent. This means that Maine is more vulnerable to volatile energy markets. Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, heating oil prices nationwide have skyrocketed.
Mills has worked to distance Maine from fossil fuels, installing energy-efficient heat pumps in over 60,000 homes, businesses, and public buildings across the state. The Mills Administration has also made significant investments to weatherize homes, increase availability of efficient, affordable housing, and expanded Maine’s clean energy workforce.
