Coalition to Keep Michigan Warm Launches Advocacy Effort

Proposed 50% Cut To LIHEAP Prompts Coalition To Mobilize Grassroots

DETROIT, Aug. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Coalition to Keep Michigan Warm (CTKMW) today launched an effort to educate federal and state elected officials about the challenges many of Michigan's low-income residents will face if federal energy assistance funding is cut in half as has been proposed. CTKMW aims to ensure that optimum financial and other resources are available to address the needs of low-income households in Michigan. Originally organized in 1987, CTKMW was formed in part out of concern that the importance of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to Michigan might not be fully appreciated by federal policy makers.

Of critical concern to CTKMW are the cuts in LIHEAP funding that have been proposed by President Obama and are now being considered by Congress. In FY 2011, Congress appropriated $4.51 billion in LIHEAP block grants and $200 million in contingency funds. The state of Michigan benefited from this, receiving $227 million in block grant funding and $10 million in emergency contingency funds. However, President Obama's FY 2012 budgets calls for cutting the program's funding in half to $1.98 billion in block grant funds. This $2.5 billion cut will have dramatic impact on those Michiganders most in need.

Yesterday, coalition members participated in LIHEAP Action Day in Washington, DC to meet with members of the Michigan Delegation to advocate for sustained funding of this program. Their message was well-received.
 

"Cuts totaling as much as $200 million in Michigan will be devastating to the Michigan resident who cannot afford to pay the energy costs in their home," said Susan Sherer, CEO of The Heat and Warm Fund (THAW).  "Over the coming weeks, we will be speaking to our delegation and educating citizens about how they can get involved with the Coalition to Keep Michigan Warm.  At time of gridlock in Washington, programs like LIHEAP receive bipartisan support because lawmakers know that helping the most vulnerable during the worst winter months isn't a partisan issue. Many members of the Michigan Delegation have been champions for us on these important issues."

Additionally, last week the Michigan Court of Appeals issued a ruling that will potentially eliminate an additional $85 million in state funding administered by the Michigan Public Service Commission through the Low Income Energy Efficiency Fund (LIEEF). Cuts at both the state and federal level threaten to leave hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents in the cold.

As unemployment continues to hover around 10% in Michigan; the importance of both LIHEAP and LIEEF are as great as ever. Calls to Michigan 2-1-1 Service seeking utility assistance increased by 50% between 2009 and 2010. Screeners at agencies across the state are seeing a diverse clientele—clients returning to stability from homelessness who need assistance resolving outstanding bills and first time clients who have lost jobs or been forced to accept wage cuts and never imagined finding themselves in need.

 "As active members of the Coalition to Keep Michigan Warm we are urging citizens to sign up on our web site to fight the threat of deep funding cuts," said Jim Crisp, Executive Director of the Michigan Community Action Agency Association (MCAAA) "As Michigan braces for these cuts the efforts of the strengthened Coalition will be critical to ensure the existence of programs like federal LIHEAP and state LIEEF, which help the most vulnerable with sustained funding for energy assistance and weatherization programs."

The coalition unifies diverse providers to proactively lead issues related to energy assistance.  Should the threatened cuts occur, the social and economic burden to the State of Michigan, the nonprofit sector and low-income residents will be unprecedented.  The CTKMW is leading the effort to defend Michigan from a crisis it is not equipped to handle.

"Our field service and customer service employees interact with customers each and every day," said Jerry Norcia, President of MichCon, the natural gas unit of DTE Energy. "They see and hear about the struggles that many of our most vulnerable customers face as they try to make ends meet and pay their utility bills. That's why we've been engaged with the Coalition since its inception. We're trying to do everything we can to get customers who most need assistance with the help they need. LIHEAP goes a long way to providing that help."

The Coalition to Keep Michigan Warm's membership is made up of a diverse group of organizations, including energy providers, state governmental bodies, nonprofit energy assistance providers, and individual supporters with direct or indirect involvement in low-income household energy issues. To learn more and support the efforts of the Coalition, visit www.coalitiontokeepmichiganwarm.com

SOURCE Coalition to Keep Michigan Warm