Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) and other lawmakers are asking all 435 House members to sign a joint letter to an appropriations subcommittee seeking assurance that “at least” $5.1 billion will be allocated for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in fiscal year (FY) 2011, as well as nearly $600 million in additional emergency funds. The requested funding is significantly more than what the Obama administration has proposed for FY 2011.

The House letter, now being circulated, comes only weeks after Markey introduced legislation to raise the authorized funding for LIHEAP to $7.6 billion per year for FY 2011 through 2014 — an annual increase of $2.5 billion over current funding of $5.1 billion. President Obama in early February proposed that LIHEAP be funded at a lower level in FY 2011 — $3.3 billion (see Daily GPI, Feb. 9).

LIHEAP, which provides assistance to poor families who are unable to pay heating and air-conditioning bills, is poised to see record-breaking requests for assistance for the third year in a row, with as many as 10 million families expected to apply for aid, Markey said.

“As we wait for our economy to heat back up, we must make sure no one is left out in the cold this winter,” he said. “We must ensure that this critical program is fully funded next year in order to meet the continued record levels of demand for heating assistance.”

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.

Markey was joined by Reps. James Oberstar (D-MN), Michael Castle (D-DE) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) in circulating the letter to House members for their signatures.

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