NFFN’s LIHEAP Action Day |
Summer
LIHEAP Action Day Attracts
The NFFN's Summer LIHEAP Action Day brought a wave
of people from across the country to Capitol Hill August 2 to urge Congress to
reject cuts to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and approve $5.1
billion for federal energy assistance in the next fiscal year.
More than 60 LIHEAP supporters met with members of Congress and their staffs to explain how devastating proposed
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| Nora
Mendez, left, and Kim Porter of the Office of Human Concern, Rogers, Arkansas,
conclude a successful meeting with Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) on Summer LIHEAP
Action Day.
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funding cuts
would be to this vital safety net program. The participants in Summer LIHEAP Action Day also reinforced the
importance of maintaining LIHEAP as a year round program.
The Obama administration has proposed reducing
funding for LIHEAP to $2.5 billion for FY 2012.
NFFN Board Chairman Tom Stovall, in a
statement prepared for Summer Action Day, said funding cuts of the magnitude
proposed by the president would leave 3.8 million households without
assistance. Last year 8.9 million
households received help with their utility bills through LIHEAP.
Stressing that energy assistance has
become a year round need, Stovall said “Just as it is important for families to
maintain utility services in the cold of winter it is equally important to have
those services in the heat of summer.” He pointed out that due to funding
reductions this fiscal year many cooling assistance programs have been reduced
or eliminated.
A video of Stovall’s statement is
available on the NFFN’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=2054207667516&oid=133167773648&comments.
Summer LIHEAP Action Day began with
participants meeting at the headquarters of the American Gas Association to go
over the status of legislation funding LIHEAP, the message to be presented to
members of Congress and the schedule for the day before heading off to Capitol
Hill.
While most participants were meeting
with members of their Congressional delegations, Stovall; LIHEAP program
directors from Alabama, Maine, and Minnesota; Cynthia Zwick, executive director
of the Arizona Community Action Agency Association, Mark Wolfe, executive
director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association; and former
LIHEAP recipient Nora Mendez participated in a media conference call.
During the call, Stovall explained the
importance of bring people to Washington for Summer Action Day. He told reporters that the grassroots
lobbying effort brings the voice of people with intimate knowledge of the
ongoing home energy crisis to the members of Congress. “Action Day lets the members hear the facts
directly from people in their districts, their neighbors, the people who vote
for them.”
Ms. Mendez told reporters how she
experienced problems keeping up with her home energy bills after hurricane
Katrina forced her and her children to leave their home in coastal Mississippi
and relocate in Arkansas.
Willie Whitehead, section chief, Energy
Division for the state of Alabama, talked with reporters about the need to
maintain LIHEAP funding at $5.1 billion in order for states to provide both
assistance with paying both heating and cooling bills.
Arizona Community Action Agency
Association executive director Cynthia Zwick reinforced Whitehead’s remarks as
she detailed how year-round assistance is important to those in need in her
state. She pointed out that winters in
Arizona can be colder than most people think and that there is just as much
need for heating assistance as there is for cooling aid.
John Harvanko, director of the Office of
Energy Assistance Programs for the Minnesota Department of Commerce, told
reporters that there needs to be some in funding for LIHEAP. He said delays in Congress in the passage of
appropriations bills has made planning for energy assistance programs very
difficult. He explained that trying to
run a program without knowing the amount of funds that would be available makes
operating the program extremely difficult.
Mark Wolfe told the media that $5.1
billion is the lowest level of funding at which the program can function
effectively. He said that any reduction in funding would lead to reductions in
the size of assistance grants and cuts in the number of households being
served.
Jo-Ann Choate, NEADA’s chairwoman and
Energy Policy Advisor for Maine Housing, explained that home heating oil costs
continue to be high despite claims that residential energy costs are
dropping. She said cuts in LIHEAP
funding would only worsen the plight of many Maine residents.
While LIHEAP supporters in Washington
were making the rounds of Congressional offices, in Hartford, CT, NFFN member
Operation Fuel and several elected state officials held a news conference to
urge Congress to provide $5.1 billion for LIHEAP. Operation Fuel executive director Pat Wrice
said Connecticut could lose as much as $57 million in funding if cuts were
approved by Congress.
A video of the news conference is available at http://cafca.imageworksllc.com/viewPost.cfm?postID=165.
Also on National Night Out, Community Action of
Minneapolis held a “Save LIHEAP” rally where supporters of the federal energy
assistance program urged their Congressional delegation to support $5.1 billion
in funding for LIHEAP.
The next NFFN LIHEAP Action Day is scheduled for
February 15, 2012.
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NFFN'S CHAIRMAN TOM STOVALL CALLS FOR $5.1 BILLION IN FEDERAL ENERGY AID;
SUMMER LIHEAP ACTION DAY, AUGUST 2, 2011
!!!
See video of NFFN Board Chairman Tom Stovall's statement on Summer LIHEAP Action Day. More than 70 LIHEAP supporters came to Washington to lobby Congress for $5.1 billion in funding for LIHEAP in FY 2012. or Read full statement. |
Mark the date:
2012
NFFN's LIHEAP Action Day
February 15, 2012
LIHEAP
Action Day Brings More Than 140 Supporters to Capitol Hill
February 9, 2011
2011 LIHEAP
Sponsors |
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BGE |
On a crisp, clear February morning more than 140
NFFN members and LIHEAP supporters spread out over Capitol Hill to meet with
Congressional decision makers to discuss the importance of the federal energy
assistance program and to urge them to maintain funding at $5.1 billion for
this vital safety net program.
The meetings with Representatives, Senators and
their staffs were arranged as part of the NFFN’s annual LIHEAP Action Day,
which serves as the kick-off for the federal budget and appropriations
process. This year Action Day
participants took part in more than 700 meetings designed to educatenew
members of Congress about LIHEAP and reinforce the value of federal energy
assistance with returning members.
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American Gas Association CEO Dave McCurdy welcomes
LIHEAP Action Day participants before they start their meetings on Capitol
Hill. More than 140 NFFN members and
LIHEAP supporters took part in the grassroots lobbying event.
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The day began at the offices of the American Gas
Association, which served as the central gathering site for participants. NFFN Board Chairman Tom Stovall, AGA CEO Dave
McCurdy and AGA Vice President Nickolas Stavropoulos welcomed the group and
talked about the value of their lobbying effort and their commitment to the
program.
Following a briefing on the status of legislation
affecting LIHEAP, a trio of Congressional staffers discussed the climate in the
new Congress and the prospects for LIHEAP during this session. The staffers, Michael Caffin, legislative
director for the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition, Kelly Knutsen, legislative
assistance to Sen. Jack Reed, and Christine Kontra, legislative director of the
Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, also took questions from the
audience.
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Capitol Hill staffers Christine
Kontra, Legislative Director of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition,
Kelly Knutsen, Legislative Assistant in the office of Sen. Jack Reed, and
Michael Gaffin, Legislative Director of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition
answer questions about LIHEAP funding legislation during LIHEAP Action Day
briefing. |
Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, provided insights into the
status of
LIHEAP programs in the states before the participants headed off to their
Capitol Hill meetings. Action Day participants visited Congressional
delegations from 23 states stretching from California to Massachusetts.
At mid-day, Stovall along with Reps. Edward Markey
of Massachusetts, Rose DeLauro of Connecticut and Gene Green of Texas held a
press conference in the shadow of the Capitol building to once again urge
Congress to support keeping LIHEAP funding at $5.1 billion for the current
fiscal year and for FY 2012.
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| Texas Rep. Gene Green addresses the media during a
LIHEAP Action Day press conference near the Capitol building. Rep. Green joined with Reps. Edward Markey
and Rose DeLauro and NFFN Board Chairman Tom Stovall to urge Congress to
maintain funding for LIHEAP at $5.1 billion.
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Reps. Markey and Green said they would work to
maintain the current funding level for the program and Rep. DeLauro, the
ranking member of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and
Education , said she would keep her committee members’ “feet to the fire” on
this issue.
After an afternoon of more meetings, Action Day
participants returned to the AGA headquarters to discuss the day’s activities
and ended the day with a Congressional reception in the Rayburn House Office
Building.
Late in the afternoon, the White House leaked
information indicating the President Obama would request only $2.37 billion for
LIHEAP in FY 2012. This was a shocking
development but the news only strengthened the determination of Action Day
participants, who are now committed to working even harder to maintain funding
for the program.
Summer LIHEAP Action Day a Smash Hit
July 28, 2010
Summer LIHEAP Action Day attracted more than 70 LIHEAP supporters and advocates to Washington to lobby Congress on behalf of the federally funded energy assistance program.
Organized and planned by the NFFN, the American Gas Association and the Edison Electric Institute, Summer LIHEAP Action Day brought participants from all sections of the country to the Nation’s capital to deliver the message that Congress should provide $5.1 billion in funding for LIHEAP for FY 2011.
The program’s supporters spent the majority of the day in meetings with Senators, Representatives and their staffs explaining the vital role energy assistance plays in the nation’s social safety net. They pointed out that high home energy costs coupled with the on-going economic recession and high unemployment has drastically increased the demand for assistance.
At mid-day many Summer LIHEAP Action Day participants joined with Representatives Gene Green and Sheila Jackson Lee in a news conference on the Capitol grounds. Both Representatives Green and Lee voiced their support for the program and urged their colleagues to do the same.
Rep. Green told reporters that while many think of LIHEAP as a heating program it also provides assistance to households having trouble with the utility bills generated during hot weather. He went further to urge the Obama administration to release available LIHEAP funds to help people struggling during this summer’s brutal heat.
Rep. Jackson Lee explained to the media that many senior citizens and people on fixed incomes often choose not to use air conditioners and fans during periods of hot weather in an attempt to keep their utility bills at affordable levels. She said these actions place many people at risk of heat related illnesses.
Also speaking at the news conference were former LIHEAP recipient Jema Quintana from Arkansas, who told the gathered media about her personal struggles and how LIHEAP assistance had helped her and her family, and Lorie Zylicz, director of the St. Bernard Parish Department of Housing and Development, who talked about the struggles of the residents of coastal Louisiana.
Lynne Cook of Houston’s Sheltering Arms Senior Services, the largest administrator of LIHEAP funds in Texas, explained the impact that energy assistance has on senior citizens, many of who sometimes have to choose between paying their utility bills and purchasing needed medicines.
Summer LIHEAP Action Day began with participants gathering at the American Gas Association offices where they received their schedules for the day and for briefings on the status of LIHEAP appropriations legislation.
During the morning session, the NFFN Board member Jackie Hutchinson presented the organization’s highest honor, the Sister Pat Kelley Award, to AGA President and CEO David Parker. He was honored his leadership in increasing the AGA’s advocacy for LIHEAP.
Also honored during the morning session was Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who was presented with the NFFN’s “Extra Mile” Award. The award is given annually to a member of Congress who has gone the “extra mile” in supporting LIHEAP.
Summer LIHEAP Action Day was planned after heavy snows forced the cancellation of the NFFN’s annual grassroots lobbying effort scheduled for February. NFFN executive director George Coling said “We are very pleased with the turn-out for Summer LIHEAP Action Day and with the response that we received on Capitol Hill. I’d like to thank everyone involved and urge our supporters to begin making plans to return to Washington on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 for the next LIHEAP Action Day.
To view more photos from Summer LIHEAP Action Day, visit the National Fuel Funds Network Facebook page and the True Blue Natural Gas blog of the American Gas Association at http://www.truebluenaturalgas.org/beating-heat-summer-liheap-action-day.
Generate letters to both of your
Senators and your member of the House of Representative
Have you made your voice heard in support of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program?
Have you let your Congressional delegation know how important it is to provide at least $5.1 billion in funding for LIHEAP for FY 2011?
If you have not, please take a few minutes to visit the website sponsored by the American Gas Association and send letters to Congress supporting this vital program. The site is easy to use and with just a few keystrokes you can generate letters to both of your Senators and your US House of Representatives.
During the 2010 National Energy and Utility Affordability Conference, more than 350 letters were sent to Congress by conference attendees. Now it’s your turn to act. Visit the site, send the message and ask your friends to do the same. Let Congress know the importance of this program.
LIHEAP Action Day Participants Take Capitol Hill
2009 Report
NFFN’s LIHEAP Action Day kicked off the lobbying effort on behalf of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program on February 11th, when more than 190 NFFN members and supporters took to Capitol Hill in a coordinated effort to gain support for the federal energy assistance program.
Participation in Action Day has continued to grow each year since its inception six years ago. This year more than 200 Congressional offices were visited by Action Day participants, including many of the new members in the House and Senate. Educating the new members of Congress was one of the priorities of Action Day.
Action Day events included a news conference in the Rayburn House Office Building featuring six US representatives and a LIHEAP recipient from Jackson, MS. Victoria Seals explained to the news media how funds from LIHEAP had helped her meet her utility bills during a difficult period in her life. She pointed out that LIHEAP is not only important to people who live in cold weather states but to people in warm weather states too.
House of Representatives members Jim Oberstar (D-MN), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Gene Green (D-TX), Paul Hodes (D-NH), and Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) all expressed their support for maintaining LIHEAP funding at $5.1 billion and said they believed there would be more legislative opportunities to increase LIHEAP funding for the current fiscal year.
The news conference was held just as members of the House and Senate were working out a compromise on the Obama Administration’s economic recovery plan and it was learned that the $1 billion for LIHEAP that had been in the House version of the bill had been eliminated.
NFFN Chairperson Sue Montgomery Corey told reporters about how the widespread national support for LIHEAP is demonstrated through Action Day. American Gas Association Chairman Thomas Skains spoke of his organization’s support for LIHEAP.
The AGA, who once again opened their offices for Action Day participants to use as a base of operations, also posted blogs about Action Day on their website. Type this link into your internet browser to visit the blog -- http://www.truebluenaturalgas.org/liheap-action-day-at-least-51-billion-in-funding-for-2010
Photo Gallery
View exciting coverage and photos from past Action Days