THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ___________________________________________________________________________ ___ Saturday, December 30, 2000 President Clinton Offers Home Heating Assistance President Clinton today directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release $300 million in Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) emergency funds to all States to assist low-income households facing substantial increases in home heating fuel prices. With today?s release of $300 million in LIHEAP emergency funds, the President has directed HHS to release a total of $856 million in LIHEAP emergency funds this winter to help States assist low-income households in coping with high fuel prices during this winter. Today?s release of funding is provided for from the FY 2001 Labor, HHS, Education appropriations bill signed by the President on December 21st. In addition to today?s release, HHS released $156 million on December 18th and $400 million on September 23rd. The Department of Energy projects that heating oil prices this winter will be 29 percent higher than last winter, and natural gas prices will be 40 percent higher than last winter. Low-income households are especially burdened by fuel prices increases, forcing many families to forego other essential expenses in order to stay warm during the cold months. Today?s LIHEAP release will help States continue to meet the needs of these families throughout the winter. In response to the President?s urging, many States have adopted higher income eligibility limits in their LIHEAP programs and higher benefit levels in anticipation of greater need for assistance this winter. Today?s release allocates funds to all States, factoring in States? reliance on heating oil, natural gas and propane. The cold weather states of the Northeast and Midwest will receive most of the funds. However, all States will receive some assistance since low-income households throughout the country are experiencing sharp energy price increases. In addition to the nationwide increases in natural gas and fuel oil, in some areas, electricity prices have risen since electricity generation often is fueled by oil or natural gas. LIHEAP helps eligible families pay the costs of heating and insulating their homes in the winter and cooling their homes in the summer. This release provides to states all the LIHEAP emergency funds made available under the FY 2001 Labor, HHS, Education appropriations bill. The state allocations of today?s release follow. These amounts include funds that will be provided directly to tribes in these states. |----------------+--------------| | | | | | | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | | December 28 | | State | Allocation | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | | | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Alabama | $2,429,254 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Alaska | $1,573,057 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Arizona | $1,047,485 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Arkansas | $1,867,029 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | California | $13,785,570 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Colorado | $4,937,929 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Connecticut | $6,570,199 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Delaware | $843,643 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Dist. of Col. | $967,148 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Florida | $2,760,626 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Georgia | $3,126,957 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Hawaii | $177,792 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Idaho | $1,439,457 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Illinois | $18,540,822 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Indiana | $8,019,030 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Iowa | $5,873,400 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Kansas | $2,732,268 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Kentucky | $3,558,555 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Louisiana | $2,465,595 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Maine | $4,006,710 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Maryland | $4,768,353 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Massachusetts | $13,056,895 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Michigan | $18,053,096 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Minnesota | $12,195,356 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Mississippi | $2,112,807 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Missouri | $6,885,039 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Montana | $2,048,914 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Nebraska | $2,923,433 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Nevada | $487,986 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | New Hampshire | $2,406,536 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | New Jersey | $12,678,060 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | New Mexico | $1,598,317 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | New York | $41,136,079 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | North Carolina | $4,969,416 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | North Dakota | $2,274,696 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Ohio | $15,877,753 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Oklahoma | $2,378,196 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Oregon | $2,631,108 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Pennsylvania | $21,398,650 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Rhode Island | $2,247,960 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | South Carolina | $1,803,859 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | South Dakota | $1,913,717 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Tennessee | $3,152,012 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Texas | $6,302,398 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Utah | $2,355,698 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Vermont | $1,743,008 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Virginia | $5,049,365 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Washington | $4,160,385 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | West Virginia | $2,447,391 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Wisconsin | $11,123,552 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Wyoming | $894,297 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | Territories | $203,142 | | | | |----------------+--------------| | | | | TOTAL | $300,000,000 | | | | | | | |----------------+--------------| # # #
President and First Lady | Vice President and Mrs. Gore
Record of Progress | The Briefing Room
Gateway to Government | Contacting the White House | White House for Kids
White House History | White House Tours | Help
Privacy Statement