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NFFN Board meets with members of the Boyken household during a tour of the Detroit Recovery Project. NFFN Board meets with members of the Boyken household during a tour of the Detroit Recovery Project. |
NFFN Press Conference
Tuesday, March 23
Shell introductory comments
Good morning.
My name is Fred Shell and I’m Vice President of Corporate & Government Affairs for DTE Energy. On behalf of my company, the National Fuel Funds Network and our partners, I want to welcome you this morning.
It is a great privilege to again link arms with the Board of Directors of the National Fuel Funds Network in the effort to ensure that children, senior citizens and families have the help they need to keep their heat and power on.
Today, the members of the National Fuel Funds Network are renewing the call for Congress and all policymakers to provide the funds necessary to deal with an unprecedented level of need. We’re working together to find dollars and ways to help provide the helping hand that so many are seeking. You will hear from many people who are part of this broad and committed coalition.
This is an effort that goes back several decades. And DTE Energy’s roots with the NFFN go back to its very beginnings. A colleague of mine at MichCon, which is now part of the DTE Energy family of companies, was instrumental (in working with the late Sr. Pat Kelley) in founding the National Fuel Funds Network in 1984.
Since that time, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program – LIHEAP – has provided billions of dollars to helped millions of Americans. Hundreds of millions of dollars have come to Michigan and have helped residents from southeast Michigan to the Upper Peninsula. We are very fortunate to have been a part of this advocacy effort with so many committed partners.
We’ve seen thousands of our customers who’ve never needed help before seeking assistance. We’ve seen a 30 percent increase in inquiries for our helping programs. And, unfortunately, we’ve seen a steady increase in the number of incidents of energy theft and several tragedies that have resulted from cases of energy theft.
The statistics are not adequate to tell each individual story, but they paint a picture of a community in crisis.
In 2009 200,000 of our customers received SER (emergency) assistance. More than 113,000 received help through the Home Heating Credit. We have 255,000 customers in our low-income data base, but the Department of Human Services estimates that 450,000 low-income customers line in our service area – 50 percent of all Michigan’s low-income residents.
Securing adequate energy assistance to meet this growing need and getting that assistance to families is the top priority of this committed coalition of working partners. Today, we ask that the entire community join with us in calling for funding that is adequate to do the job.
