State Funding Starts Flowing in North Carolina

Last week North Carolina’s Council of State approved a plan by Governor Mike Easley to provide $6.5 million in state funding for low-income energy needs.

As a result, about $3.4 million is being distributed through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the LIHEAP and weatherization grantee, as part of the LIHEAP crisis intervention program, which operates year round and provides up to $300 per household for heating- or cooling- related energy crises. Private donors such as utilities are expected to match that amount. So far, the state’s major utilities have announced contributions of about $3.1 million, to be distributed through their fuel funds. The remaining $3.1 million will go to the state weatherization program, administered by DHHS's Office of Economic Opportunity, to weatherize the homes of low-income residents.

On November 16, the Governor announced his plan to provide nearly $10 million in public and private resources to help the state’s low-income deal with high energy costs. He said the source of the state funds is the Contingency and Emergency Fund and that the combined state and private resources would assist an additional 70,000 families.

Source: State government

Page Last Updated: March 17, 2006