WASHINGTON, DC -- In response to a request by U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the White House's Office of Management and Budget today agreed to release $450 million from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) contingency fund. Rhode Island will receive approximately $4.47 million of this federal funding to help families heat their homes this winter. The state has already received $13,476,828 in base LIHEAP funding for the current fiscal year.

"With temperatures dropping and energy prices rising, this release of LIHEAP contingency funds is sorely needed. This emergency funding will help thousands of working families and seniors in Rhode Island keep their heat turned on this winter," said Reed, who serves as the Chairman of the Northeast-Midwest Coalition, a bipartisan group of senators that seek to advance policies that enhance the region's economy and environment.

On December 21, 2007, Senator Reed sent President Bush a letter, which was signed by 36 of his Senate colleagues, stating: "We request that your Administration release the $586 million in FY2008 LIHEAP contingency funds that were recently approved by Congress to help low-income seniors and families with their home energy expenses during a winter that has already seen a significant share of severe winter weather and cold conditions and promises only to get colder."

LIHEAP is a federal block grant program that provides states with annual funding to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. Last year, nearly 30,000 Rhode Island households relied on LIHEAP to assist with the costs of heating their homes each year and to pay delinquent utilities bills so they can re-establish service.

In December, Congress passed a consolidated appropriations spending bill containing a total of $2.57 billion for LIHEAP.