Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Total LIHEAP funding for Massachusetts reaches $216 million for the 2023 Fiscal Year
Washington (March 16, 2022) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), author of the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, today celebrated an announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that Massachusetts and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will receive additional federal funding through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to ensure low-income households and seniors can pay their energy bills, providing critical assistance during the cold winter months. Massachusetts will receive another $19.6 million, and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will receive approximately $30,000. For the 2023 Fiscal Year, Massachusetts has now received a total of $215.6 million, and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has received more than $323,800 in LIHEAP funding.
“From Winter Storm Elliot last December to this week’s Nor’easter, far too many families in Massachusetts have been buried under skyrocketing heating bills as they try to stay safe and warm,” said Senator Markey. “LIHEAP funding is essential for Massachusetts families and seniors who need a little extra help to make ends meet during the region’s harsh winters, and this announcement means more households will be able to access this critical relief. No family should have to choose between paying their energy bills or facing the freezing cold.”
Last month, Senator Markey and Representative Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) reintroduced the Heating and Cooling Relief Act to invest in and expand LIHEAP, ensuring families who are eligible for fuel assistance and support are provided the relief they need, and to leverage LIHEAP funding to invest in climate adoption and clean energy. Senator Markey also joined his colleagues in writing to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra urging the swift allocation of remaining emergency LIHEAP funds. For Fiscal Year 2023, Senator Markey worked with his congressional colleagues to secure a total $6.1 billion in LIHEAP funding.
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