New Hampshire will receive $47.7 million from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, compared with $25 million last winter. State officials cheered the news, saying they've seen a significant increase in people seeking help this year and noting that oil prices, while having declined since summer, remain high.
"There was a real push to make Congress and the presidency understand the needs of the Northeast, which is so much more oil-dependent" than the rest of the country, said Amy Ignatius, director of the state Office of Energy and Planning.
Sens. Judd Gregg and John Sununu announced that the Bush administration will release the money today. U.S. Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes have joined them in seeking more LIHEAP money for New Hampshire.
The extra federal aid will also save the state money. The Legislature voted last month to front $10 million from the general fund to LIHEAP. Legislators and Gov. John Lynch said the action ensured that the state's low-income residents would receive the same amount of aid as last year, a goal that was expected to cost $37.5 million. The measure called for the state to recoup its money if the federal government covered that amount, which it now will.
Meanwhile, the number of people seeking help is up sharply.
The state has seen a 20 percent increase in certified applications over this time last year, said Celeste Lovett, the fuel assistance program manager at Energy and Planning. Community Action Programs had about an 80 percent increase in appointments on their books as of last Friday.
But, Ignatius said, some of that year-to-date increase may have been caused by applications being submitted earlier than usual. "With all of the fear, I think more people are coming forward quicker than they were," Ignatius said.
And Lovett said the increased traffic shouldn't discourage anyone from applying. "We do have the funding. We do expect to serve everybody that applies," she said.
While heating oil prices have receded from their summertime highs of more than $4.50 a gallon, they are significantly higher now than they were last year at this time.
Last week, a gallon of heating oil in New Hampshire averaged $3.68, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. Last year at this time, that price was $2.69.
People who earn up to 60 percent of the state's median income are eligible for LIHEAP. With new income figures released this month, that is $52,438 for a family of four or $27,268 for a single person.
Last year, New Hampshire's LIHEAP program served 35,351 households. The average total seasonal aid was $629, which translated to 189 gallons of heating oil. A typical household uses about 800 gallons of heating oil in a year. The program provides aid to people with other types of heating systems.
Congress has decided to allow states to give LIHEAP aid to people making up to 75 percent of a state's median income, which in New Hampshire is $65,547 for a family of four. State officials have not decided whether to use that permission to increase New Hampshire's income cap, Ignatius said.
