The Democrat’s virtual meeting came on a frigid day with temperatures below zero, even before factoring in wind chill.
“The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is a critical lifeline that helps millions of Americans and at least 160,000 Massachusetts residents keep the heat on during the cold winter," said Markey. And this January, it is cold, and it looks like it's going to last for some extended period of time.”
Markey, alongside local politicians including Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer and Berkshire State Representatives Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Paul Mark, said that the program is under-funded and failing to serve everyone who needs it.
“Currently, it is estimated that only 16% of households eligible for LIHEAP are actually served," he said. "And that has to change. A recent study found that Massachusetts residential customers owed a total of $675 million in unpaid electric and gas bills at the end of December of 2021.”
The senator pointed to the statistic that nearly 425,000 residential customers in the state are over 90 days late on gas and electric bills this winter.
“We are teetering over a financial cliff that is forcing already vulnerable households to make the impossible decision of whether to put food on the table cover rent a keep the heat on this winter," said Markey. "And thankfully, through the American Rescue Plan that we passed last March, we were able to bring a record $307 million for LIHEAP to Massachusetts for this winter. And while this historic funding more than doubles the state's typical annual funding level for LIHEAP, there is more we must do to ensure that home energy funding is reaching every family that needs it.”
Markey said his new bill, the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, would invest $40 billion annually into the program to expand it.
“It will help end energy poverty for households across the country, and support a just transition away from fossil fuel consumption by investing in weatherization efforts and promoting renewable energy usage," said the senator. "The legislation would provide an estimated $1.5 billion in LIHEAP funds for Massachusetts every single year. That's five times more than what we're getting this year. That would be enough funding to ensure that no household pays more than 3% of its annual income or energy costs.”
Markey co-authored the bill with New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman, a fellow Democrat from the 16th district.
“Our bill says that access to life saving heating and cooling must be a basic human right," he said. "We know which families are struggling to cover the bills. We know which families are putting huge portions of their monthly income towards keeping their families warm. They have families in Pittsfield, in the Berkshires. They're Black, they're Brown, they’re Latino, they are low income households across the board. They are families in which parents are working around the clock, multiple jobs just to make ends meet. And nearly three out of four households that receive LIHEAP in Massachusetts include someone over 60, someone with a disability, or a child under six. So let me be clear: Energy poverty is a racial justice issue. It's an economic justice issue. It's an environmental justice issue.”
Markey held a similar discussion a day earlier with officials and advocates from Springfield.
You can read more about his new home energy assistance bill here.
