The American Gas Association (AGA) has endorsed House legislation that would significantly raise annual funding for a federal program that provides assistance to low-income energy customers.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), would raise the authorized funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to $7.6 billion per year for fiscal years (FY) 2011 through 2014 — an annual increase of $2.5 billion over current funding of $5.1 billion.

Even at its current level AGA, which represents natural gas utilities, said LIHEAP is significantly underfunded, reaching just a portion of the families in need of energy assistance. And last week President Obama proposed that LIHEAP be funded at an even lower level — $3.3 billion in FY 2011. AGA President David Parker decried this as “inadequate.”

“We join Congressman Markey in urging Congress to increase funding for this critical program so that no American feels the bite of winter in his or her own home,” he said.

In addition to the federal government, natural gas utilities provide more than $2 billion annually in program assistance to needy energy consumers, and many states supplement LIHEAP with their own fuel assistance programs.

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