Entergy employees, local community advocate for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Entergy employees and local community partners recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with congressional leaders and advocate in support of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Entergy said Tuesday.
LIHEAP, a federal program, helps to reduce the burden of home energy costs for an estimated 6 million households.
“But only a fraction of families who qualify actually receive assistance through LIHEAP,” Entergy said in a news release. “The program is drastically underfunded, and a program earmark favors relief for heating costs in cold-weather states and diverts millions of dollars away from needy customers in warm-weather states, including the four states Entergy serves.”
Last year, Congress increased funding for LIHEAP by $300 million, growing the program from $3.39 billion to $3.69 billion.
“More importantly, it began addressing the longstanding funding formula issue to send more dollars to Entergy’s customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Orleans, and Texas,” Entergy said.
The increased funding increased Entergy’s share of LIHEAP by 14 percent to $5.5 million, enabling the company to serve nearly 4,5000 additional households. More than 211,000 Entergy bills were paid with LIHEAP funds.
The company noted that another 13,000 bills were paid through its The Power to Care program, which helps low-income, elderly or disabled customers pay their energy bills in times of financial distress.
