Dangerous Record Heat Raises Importance of Government Program

New Orleans, La. – Employees of Entergy Corporation and local community partners join other utilities and nonprofit representatives from across the country in Washington, D.C. this week to urge Congress to restore America's energy safety-net program to its $5.1 billion funding level.

The effort is part of the National Fuel Funds Network’s LIHEAP Summer Action Day on Capitol Hill. LIHEAP is the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. “Hot weather records are being shattered this summer across America, including in our service territory,” said Patty Riddlebarger, director of corporate social responsibility and a participant in Action Day, “making this a more critical issue than ever.”

Current 2012 funding for LIHEAP is $3.47 billion. U.S. House and Senate appropriators have recently endorsed level funding of the program next year, even as poverty is rising to levels not seen since 1965. The measures await further review and votes in the full U.S. House and Senate.

“It’s hard to fathom why LIHEAP should be 30 percent smaller in 2013 than it was in 2009 through 2011,” said Riddlebarger. “LIHEAP saves lives. It’s especially important to the elderly and infirm who are ill-equipped to handle these record temperatures.”

On average, there are 400 heat-related deaths a year in the U.S. Combined with hotter temperatures America’s continued recession is escalating the need for assistance.

“An additional 674,000 Americans became impoverished between 2008 and 2011 in just the four states Entergy serves,” said Riddlebarger. “LIHEAP helps low-wage workers and low-income families in financial crisis afford their summer cooling and winter heating costs. However, LIHEAP’s positive impact to those in need depends entirely upon the financial commitment Congress chooses to make to this life-saving program.”

Although LIHEAP prioritizes households with seniors, disabled and preschoolers, the program is also increasingly reaching households of U.S. veterans and even active-duty members of America’s military services.

In addition to engaging representatives in Congress, Entergy also provides local assistance through the company’s Beat the Heat program and the Power to Care fund, which allows customers and employees to contribute toward helping low-income customers with monthly utility bills. New online tools recently introduced at entergy.com/savemoney provide customers interactive virtual assistance to help them manage their electricity usage and access payment options.

“Initiatives like these can really make a difference as energy costs as a percentage of income can be four times higher for LIHEAP-eligible families than for those with higher incomes,” Riddlebarger said. “Through LIHEAP Summer Action Day, we are urging Congress to look to the future and provide the $5.1 billion needed for LIHEAP. By doing so, we are helping ensure warm-weather states like ours get the necessary funds to help those in need manage the devastating heat of summer.”

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and approximately 15,000 employees.

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