On Thursday Governor Peter Shumlin and the Legislature’s Emergency Board, which consists of the heads of the Legislature’s money committees, approved an additional $2.1 million for the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Burlington Free Press has more:
The governor and the four legislative leaders who together make up the Emergency Board voted to increase the amount of state funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program because the federal funding has shrunk. “While everyone understands that Vermont, like other states, cannot make up for all of the federal cutbacks coming our way, keeping our needy neighbors from freezing in their homes in the winter has to be a priority,” Shumlin said. With the state’s extra funding, the average benefit provided to eligible households would provide the same purchasing power as last year, although the average benefit will be smaller. The benefits will cover about 32 percent of beneficiaries’ winter fuel costs. Fuel aid dollars will buy more heat this winter, because fuel prices have declined, and the state has negotiated bigger discounts.
Read the full article: State adds $2.1 million to heating-aid fund (PDF).
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