Shaheen Leads NH Delegation in Welcoming More Than $2.8M in Additional LIHEAP Funding to Lower Home Energy Costs for Granite Staters
**Additional funding brings total to highest LIHEAP funding ever received in a 12-month period in NH history**
**Funding comes following Shaheen and Hassan’s push to prioritize LIHEAP during ARP, bipartisan infrastructure & FY22 appropriations negotiations**
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) welcomed $2,881,938 to help Granite State families cover the costs of home energy expenses through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
This announcement brings the total amount of LIHEAP funding allocated to New Hampshire over the past year to $64,347,626 – the highest amount ever – through funding from the bipartisan infrastructure package, the American Rescue Plan and fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations funding.
“As working families struggle with surging energy costs, I’m pleased to welcome $2.8 million to the Granite State to help households afford their energy bills. LIHEAP is an important program that helps lower heating and cooling costs so families aren’t forced to face an impossible decision between paying for these expenses or paying for food or medicine,” said Senator Shaheen. “As a senior appropriator who helped write the funding bill and led negotiations around the infrastructure law and the COVID relief bills, delivering LIHEAP assistance to lower energy expenses was a top priority. I’m proud to deliver historic funding around home energy assistance for the Granite State, and I’m glad to see these funds out the door.”
“As Granite Staters continue to face high energy prices, we must keep working to lower costs in any way that we can,” Senator Hassan said. “This federal funding will help Granite Staters reduce their home energy expenses, including by helping households invest in renewable energy. This funding builds on my bipartisan work to help homeowners lower their monthly energy bill by making energy efficient upgrades, and I will keep working across the aisle on commonsense solutions to bring down energy costs.”
“This additional Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding will go a long way to ensure Granite State families can afford their energy costs without having to sacrifice other essentials,” said Representative Kuster. “I was proud to help expand LIHEAP resources in Congress and I will continue working to support those most in need across New Hampshire.”
“No one should have to choose between paying their heating and cooling bills or putting food on the table,” said Representative Chris Pappas. “I fought hard to pass the bipartisan infrastructure law to deliver resources like this and am pleased to see additional funding being delivered to New Hampshire. I remain committed to do all that we can to lower energy costs for families.”
As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen has prioritized ensuring Granite State families and seniors have access to heating and energy assistance. Senator Shaheen worked to secure over $3.2 billion for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) in the FY22 government funding legislation that was signed into law in March. New Hampshire has already received record LIHEAP funding this winter to assist Granite State families with home heating bills, efficiency upgrades and emergency situations. In addition to the $900 million in LIHEAP funds allocated through the CARES Act in 2020, Shaheen and Hassan worked to secure $4.5 billion for LIHEAP in the American Rescue Plan that was signed into law in March 2021 and provided $35,498,757 to New Hampshire. In October, Shaheen and Hassan sent a bipartisan letter that successfully pushed the Biden administration to swiftly release LIHEAP funding, including $25,192,436 for New Hampshire, under the temporary government funding measure ahead of the winter season.
Senator Hassan is working to lower energy costs for Granite Staters, including by pushing for a suspension of the federal gas tax for the rest of the year and successfully calling on the Biden administration to release more barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Senator Hassan also successfully worked to strengthen energy efficiency programs in the bipartisan infrastructure law. The bipartisan package supports domestic battery energy storage development and deployment, technology needed to increase the use of renewable energy sources and eliminate reliability gaps throughout the day. These provisions build on Senator Hassan’s bipartisan Battery Storage Innovation Act – which was signed into law as part of the December government funding package. Senator Hassan also introduced bipartisan legislation to lower energy costs for families by expanding and extending tax credits for energy efficient home upgrades. Senator Hassan has also continued to advocate for strong weatherization program funding for New Hampshire.
