Eagle Tribune: NH wants more heating aid

The recent freezing weather down south has sent a chill up the spine of New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes.

That's because a new funding formula for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program has diverted money from the country's northern states to southern states, such as Mississippi, which are receiving triple the fuel assistance, according to Hodes.

"New Hampshire families are being left out in the cold while the Sun Belt states get more of our needed heating assistance," Hodes said in a statement. "Especially in this difficult economy, it is simply unacceptable that bureaucratic formulas from Washington are getting in the way of critical assistance that our families in New Hampshire need to get through our harsh winters."

The extra money is released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The low-income heating program helped a record 8.3 million families last year and the number is expected to be 20 to 30 percent higher this winter, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

The congressman has sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, asking that the Granite State's share of heating assistance be restored.

"While we appreciate the degree to which your Department attempted to address the needs of states experiencing high unemployment and unseasonably cold winters, it should not come at the expense of consumers in cold-weather states who are struggling mightily this winter to stay warm," the letter said.

In January, the Obama administration released $490 million in emergency heating aid through a new formula that distributes the money based on colder-than-usual temperatures and unemployment levels.

New Hampshire received $2.5 million — only a year after getting $16.8 million, according to Joanne Morin, director of the state's energy office.

That translates to a 78 percent reduction in emergency funding. The typical New Hampshire family has seen its federal heating assistance plummet from $929 a year ago to $733 this year, Hodes said.

"In terms of distribution of that supplemental money, we are receiving less than we have in the past," Morin said. "I think it is great he is bringing up that issue."

But Morin said the matter must still be kept in perspective since the main reason the state received so much supplemental funding last year was because fuel prices were expected to rise to $5 a gallon. There are often years when New Hampshire does not receive any additional fuel money, she said.

Although New Hampshire is getting less emergency fuel assistance this year, the important thing is that the state's base funding of $34.1 million — the same as last year — has not been affected, she said.

That means the same assistance-eligible families — and even more — will be able to heat their homes this winter, she said.

"We still get more than we budgeted for the program," Morin said.

Despite the publicity generated by lawmakers such as Hodes, Morin is worried people will get the wrong impression.

"It sounds like we are not taking care of our low-income heating (needs), but we are," she said.

Shortly after the $490 million in emergency aid was granted, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked the Obama administration to release an additional $100 million to the cold-weather states.

"Families in New Hampshire are struggling even more than usual to heat their homes during these difficult economic times and need additional assistance to make it through the winter," Shaheen said in a statement. "That's why I joined with many Senate colleagues to urge President Obama to immediately rectify the imbalance of funding by releasing the remaining $100 million in LIHEAP contingency funds to New Hampshire and other colder climate states."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.