Governor Sonny Perdue Announces Georgia as a Recipient of Emergency Energy Assistance

ATLANTA- Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Georgia would be one of 12 states awarded $50 million in emergency energy assistance.  The funds from the federal government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are targeted to states that have experienced dangerously high temperatures in recent weeks.

“The funds awarded to us today are a necessity for many Georgians who have undergone financial difficulty due to the staggering temperatures that we experienced this summer,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “By offering support to those in need, we are working to limit the high level of risk created by extreme summer heat.”

LIHEAP funding is administered to states through the US Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Community Services to help eligible low-income homeowners and renters meet their heating or cooling needs.

“Severe heat can be devastating, especially for our children, older Americans and people with disabilities,” HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt said. “This emergency aid will help states that have recently experienced unusually high temperatures and need additional resources to support low-income families through the rest of the summer.”

The $50 million is allocated to states most affected by the heat, based on the number of low-income households in the state. Including the funds released today, a total of approximately $2 billion in LIHEAP funds, has been made available to states and tribes in fiscal year 2007.

“The money being released today by the Bush Administration will help those most in need -- including children, the elderly and the disabled,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families Daniel Schneider. “Providing aid to these vulnerable citizens creates an environment where health and safety risks can be reduced.”

States receiving today’s emergency energy assistance funding are: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Those who are eligible and interested in applying for energy assistance should contact their local or state LIHEAP agency. For more information, go to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/liheap/ or http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/liheap/brochure.html.