Along with an annual appropriation of $35 million, Maine will receive an additional $55.2 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan – more than double Maine’s typical annual funding

January 7, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced Maine has received a record $90.2 million for home energy assistance thanks to the American Rescue Plan. In addition to an annual appropriation of $35 million, Maine will receive $55.2 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan—more than double Maine’s typical annual funding—for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This marks the highest amount Maine has ever received in LIHEAP to help families struggling with home heating costs. 

“During a time when so many in Maine and across the country are struggling to make ends meet during the ongoing pandemic, programs like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program are quite literally saving lives. No one should be forced to choose between paying their energy bill or putting food on the table,” said Congresswoman Pingree. “Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, this critical program will help more Mainers than ever before. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The American Rescue Plan is one of the most important pieces of legislation I have ever helped pass, and this is exactly why.”

In 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration and Congressional Democrats delivered $8 billion in LIHEAP funding nationally, more than doubling typical annual appropriations, because of an additional $4.5 billion provided by the American Rescue Plan. These funds represent the largest appropriation in a single year since the program was established in 1981. These resources are already allowing states across the country to provide more home energy relief to low income Americans than ever before.

In January 2021, Pingree joined more than 60 members of Congress in urging House Leadership, successfully, to include additional funding for LIHEAP in the American Rescue Plan. Pingree was a proud supporter of the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law last March. Additionally, in October 2021, Pingree and a coalition of bipartisan members urged Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to release LIHEAP funds to state agencies as quickly as possible and at the highest level available.