Latest news with #LIHEAP
Politico
a day ago
- Business
- Politico
Trump's cuts spur a scramble for expiring energy credits
In case you haven't noticed the messaging ads from environmental groups, plenty of analysts project that the new Republican megalaw will increase electricity prices by slashing low-cost renewables. The law could also make it harder for homeowners and businesses to reduce their own power use to avoid potential bill increases. The cuts are spurring anxiety in communities that were already looking at big jumps in their electricity costs — including the presidential swing state of Arizona. Kilowatts vs. food Take Shirley Ross, who spoke to me for a story focused on the megalaw's potential cost effects in the sun-baked desert state. When she and her husband moved to an unincorporated community in the state's southeast, they saw an ad for a nonprofit promising to reduce their power bills. The group gave them direct financial support and funded efficiency upgrades. Leaky windows were sealed, the air conditioning was replaced and a decades-old avocado green refrigerator was swapped out. Ross' electricity bills have doubled in the 15 years since they moved in, but she says they'd be much higher without that early work. 'I know we wouldn't be eating as well as we do,' she said. President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, however, phases out tax credits to cover similar upgrades. Credits of up to $1,200 on weatherization and insulation, for example, will expire at the end of this year, as will credits of up to $150 for a home energy audit. Incentives for solar panels, home battery system and electric panels will also run out early. Bill backers say the cuts were necessary to avoid tax increases that would have further hurt households. The White House says it's working to lower energy costs elsewhere. Democrats jump inBlue states are making hay, however. Climate Mayors and the U.S. Climate Alliance today launched a nationwide campaign to encourage Americans to take advantage of the credits before they expire, POLITICO's Zack Colman reported. 'We have a narrow window to get the word out and help our communities benefit from these proven, popular credits which are making clean energy more affordable and accessible across the country,' Climate Mayors chair and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a statement. Some states and utilities will continue to offer their own assistance to homeowners. After all, energy efficiency is a way to ease the looming power supply crunch. But advocates for low-income families say they're worried, especially when electricity prices are already rising faster than inflation. Also of note: The federal LIHEAP utility assistance program has its own fund to weatherize homes. Trump's proposed budget would zero out LIHEAP, further scrambling the prospects for groups like the one that helped Ross. Kelly McGown, who heads an Arizona nonprofit that distributes LIHEAP funds, said it's not the time to cut federal protections. 'We're putting families in a position where they're choosing between paying for electricity, food or housing with no backstop,' she said. It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Jason Plautz. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to jplautz@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Alex Guillén breaks down why the Trump administration is moving to cancel the $7 billion Solar for All program. Power Centers International Energy Agency under fireTrump officials are looking to replace the second-in-command at the International Energy Agency, in the latest sign of the administration's frustration with the Paris-based body, Brian Dabbs and Sara Schonhardt write. Mary Warlick, a retired State Department official, is the administration's top target, according to multiple energy industry insiders and former U.S. officials. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and some Republicans have expressed frustration with the IEA's outlook that demand for oil will peak by the end of this decade. The White House has championed the use of fossil fuels. 'The product that the IEA produces is not generally accepted by everybody. It's just not,' said Mark Menezes, who was deputy Energy secretary during Trump's first term. 'And the political context has changed.' California dreamingThe Trump administration is making plans to terminate the Inflation Reduction Act's Solar for All program as soon as this week. In California, almost none of the $250 million that California received from the program has made it out the door yet, Noah Baustin and Camille von Kaenel report. Solar companies fear they're on the cusp of losing their best shot at setting up a thriving community solar program that would give renters and electricity customers who can't afford to put panels on their rooftops the chance to draw from nearby midsize solar installations. Climate's information gapIn its first six months in office, the Trump administration 'has significantly altered the federal environmental information landscape,' according to a new report issued by the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative, a nonprofit research group. One example, writes Robin Bravender, citing the report, is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 2024, the United States experienced 27 weather and climate disasters that each topped $1 billion in damages, according to a NOAA website that maps costly disasters. That website won't be updated with this year's data. The administration has moved quickly to torpedo environmental justice and climate work done by the prior administration. The day after Trump took office, the White House Council on Environmental Quality took down a screening tool aimed at funneling federal spending toward communities that faced high levels of pollution. Outsourcing carbon goalsEuropean Union officials didn't examine the effects of a plan to pay poorer countries to cut pollution for the purpose of meeting Europe's climate targets, Karl Mathiesen and Zia Weise write. European officials excluded the bloc's climate department when it crafted a European Commission proposal that includes the use of global carbon credits to meet the bloc's 2040 goals. Climate advocates have warned that the proposal could undermine the bloc's carbon trading system and emissions reduction goals. In Other News Coal cash: An Ohio law set to take effect next week ends the subsidies for two coal plants that have cost utility customers over $500 million. Crowdsourcing power: Pacific Gas & Electric successfully tested a virtual power plant using the solar and batteries of 1,000 homes. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. A South Carolina judge dismissed the city of Charleston's lawsuit against fossil fuel companies over the effects of climate change. Turkey will not help the European Union in its bid to end imports of Russian natural gas. Energy Transfer announced plans to build a new $5.3 billion gas pipeline from West Texas to Arizona. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Extreme heat is a threat to families. Trump's budget makes it harder to escape.
Eliminating LIHEAP would drive energy poverty to new heights. More families would fall behind. More households would be disconnected. Each summer, millions of low-income Americans suffer in stifling homes, unable to afford the electricity needed to run an air conditioner. And as heat waves become more extreme across the country, we are also seeing record high overnight temperatures – meaning that families who rely on cooler nighttime temperatures for relief from the heat are unable to get cool at all. Each summer, prolonged exposure to extreme heat leads to a rising number of hospitalizations for high blood pressure, cardiovascular strain, dangerous dehydration – and worse. At the same time, the cost of electricity to run air conditioning this summer is rising faster than the overall rate of inflation and is now at the highest level in at least 12 years. Many families simply cannot afford the cost of home energy. In fact, 1 in 6 households are now behind on their utility bills – collectively owing these companies about $24 billion. For these families, falling behind means choosing between electricity and food, between staying cool and buying medicine. This crisis is not confined to the East Coast or the Sunbelt, either. Record-breaking temperatures have reached the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and New England alike. In 2024, we experienced the hottest year on record, and the 10 warmest years have occurred in the most recent decade. These deaths are not front-page tragedies. They happen behind closed doors, in stifling brick walk-ups, in neighborhoods where trees are scarce and concrete radiates heat through the night. Opinion: Extreme heat is killing American workers. What will Trump do about it? A crucial utility aid to poor families is now on the chopping block The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is the only federal program providing grants to poor families to help them pay their energy bills. Yet President Donald Trump's 2026 budget proposal would eliminate LIHEAP. In 2024 alone, LIHEAP helped nearly 6 million households, many of whom are elderly, disabled or raising young children who would be left vulnerable in homes that are increasingly uninhabitable in the summer heat. And many of these families will be even less able to pay their home energy bills now that Congress has passed the Trump-approved One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes significant cuts to food stamps and Medicaid. Eliminating LIHEAP would drive energy poverty to new heights. More families would fall behind. More households would be disconnected. And during the hottest months, those disconnections would lead to prolonged, potentially fatal exposure to extreme temperatures. In the winter, most states that face freezing temperatures have policies to prevent utilities from shutting off customers due to nonpayment, protecting them when temperatures fall to unsafe levels. In the summer, only 19 states and Washington, DC, protect families from unsafe temperatures, and many of those protections are inadequate. At the very least, every state should implement potentially lifesaving shutoff moratoria during the hottest months of the year. Opinion: What is the right temperature to set your AC in the summer? Take our poll. US is too wealthy to permit these tragedies In a country as wealthy as ours, no family should have to choose between cooling their home and putting food on the table. No older person should die quietly in a sweltering apartment. No parent should have to decide between electricity and a prescription. Yet that's exactly what the president's budget proposal would force upon millions of Americans. Congress must reject that proposal to cut LIHEAP: Extreme heat may be a silent killer, but our failure to act would speak volumes. Eliminating LIHEAP would condemn millions of vulnerable families to real and measurable harm – at a moment when the need for support has never been greater. Mark Wolfe is an energy economist and serves as the executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, representing the state directors of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and codirector of the Center on Climate, Energy and Poverty. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the GW University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy.
Miami Herald
30-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Need help paying rent, electricity or buying food in South Florida?
Many families in South Florida are struggling financially. If you're having trouble paying rent, keeping the lights on, or putting food on the table, several federal, state and local programs offer assistance. Here's how to access them. If you're struggling, you're not alone—these resources can provide real relief when you need it most: Rental assistance Miami-Dade PHCD Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Phone: 305-723-1815. Apply here Broward County The main rental program has ended, but emergency funds are still available through nonprofit partners. More info here Palm Beach County Offers temporary assistance for rent and utility payments. Official site Also available: Miami-Dade's rental waitlist is open offers up to $500 to help seniors pay rent. Utility assistance LIHEAP – Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Provides direct payments to power companies like to $1,300 per year per is given to households with seniors, children, or people with through your local county or community center. Where to apply: Miami-Dade: Apply hereBroward: More infoPalm Beach: More info Food assistance SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) Monthly benefits on an EBT card for use at supermarkets, farmers markets, and even via the DCF MyACCESS portal: Apply here TEFAP – Free Food Distribution The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides free fresh and canned foods through Feeding South Florida and other food one near you Cash assistance Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) Monthly cash support for pregnant people or those with be used for rent, food, and basic through be used alongside SNAP and Medicaid. Not sure where to start? Call 211 Dial 211, available 24/7 in English and Spanish, across all South Florida be connected to local services for housing, food, employment, mental health, and can also visit: Documents needed to apply Valid IDProof of income or unemploymentRecent utility or rent billsProof of residency (lease or utility bill) Note that help is available, but programs vary by county and may only run while funds last.
Time Magazine
24-06-2025
- Climate
- Time Magazine
We Are All Now First Responders to Extreme Heat
This week, blistering temperatures could put more than 220 million Americans at risk. Extreme heat is the deadliest type of weather disaster in the United States—and one of the most underestimated. In my decades of climate resilience work in towns and neighborhoods, I've seen firsthand the pain, loss, and economic costs of extreme heat. Heat strains power grids, damages infrastructure, and worsens air pollution. It puts outdoor and commuting workers at risk, flares chronic health conditions, profoundly endangers mother and baby during pregnancy, and disproportionately harms children, older adults, and low-income families. Yet as communities from the Eastern Seaboard to the Midwest are engulfed in record-breaking temperatures, the U.S. is now even more dangerously unprepared. The safety net we count on in moments of climate crisis isn't just fraying—it's unraveling. As a result, you are (or will soon be) forced to become your own first responder. In its drive to slash the size and scope of the federal government, the Trump administration has weakened the very agencies and systems we rely on to prepare for and respond to disasters–including extreme heat. Cuts to NOAA's forecasting programs weaken our ability to anticipate and plan for dangerously high temperatures while reduced support for programs like the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and slashed funding for public health efforts—like the CDC's Climate and Health Program—leave states and cities without tools to protect residents before and during heat waves. Read More: Losing NOAA's Natural Disaster Data Will Make Storms More Devastating for the Poor While these cuts may seem abstract or bureaucratic, their impact is personal. If you've ever checked the weather on your phone, you've depended on NOAA. These are the scientists who issue early warnings that save lives. When funding is slashed, those alerts may come too late—or not at all. Even before summer officially began, Americans were grappling with the impacts—from International Falls, Minnesota, known as the 'icebox of the nation,' where temperatures soared into the 90s in early May, to the Rio Grande Valley, which endured a mid-May heatwave that made it hotter than Death Valley. Alaska—yes, Alaska—issued its first ever heat warning this week. Read More: The Most Efficient Way to Run Your AC During a Heat Wave While the administration claims it is shifting responsibility to the states, this blatantly ignores the reality that states lack the funding and infrastructure to manage on their own. Federal grants have been essential to states' preparedness. Even cities widely regarded as leaders in disaster preparedness are strained. Miami-Dade County was forced to eliminate both its Chief Resilience Officer and Chief Heat Officer roles due to budget constraints, while Los Angeles' proposed budget would eliminate its entire climate resilience office. I work with under-served communities around the world, from the United States to India, and Mexico to Greece. I've sat in community centers where mothers have shared strategies on how to stay safe working outdoors while still earning enough to feed their families. I've walked through Sierra Leone outdoor markets and seen the benefit of simple shade structures to prevent heat stroke. These efforts are survival. When governments can't (or won't) help us, we—our communities—become the first line of defense. As a first responder, here's what you can do: Know What's Coming It's important to understand your local climate threats. Arm yourself with information on the early signs of heat illness: dizziness, headache, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and confusion. Heatstroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate action. Awareness saves lives and sparks action. Plan Like It's Personal Heat doesn't just affect 'other people'—healthy, young individuals are now showing up in emergency rooms. Having a plan can save lives. That means staying hydrated, resting in shade or air-conditioned spaces, and scheduling strenuous outdoor activities early in the day. If you don't have air conditioning, know where the nearest cooling center is and how to keep your home cooler—by closing blinds during the day and using fans or cross-ventilation at night, when staying cool is essential for the body to rest and recover. Build a Check-In Culture Loneliness can be lethal during a heatwave. Programs like Philadelphia's Heat Response Program and Los Angeles' senior outreach initiative show how check-ins save lives. But you don't need a government job to do this. Create a phone tree or a group chat. Encourage people to 'adopt a neighbor' during heat alerts. One call can make all the difference. Turn Public Spaces into Lifelines When government systems falter, schools, libraries, religious institutions, and shaded parks can become heat-safe hubs. I've helped cities pilot community cooling spaces that serve as a refuge for people without access to air conditioning and seen how, when designed thoughtfully, cooling centers are not just places to retreat—they are places to reconnect, reorganize, and rebuild. While your new job as a first responder is critical, it's not yours to keep — that's the government's. Until then, however, and while the safety net is burning, it's on us to help put out the flames.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cooling assistance accepting appointments starting Sunday
CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — Beginning Sunday at 7 p.m., residents can begin making appointments for the cooling assistance program administered by the Economic Opportunity Authority (EOA). Residents of Chatham County can make appointments by calling 912-721-7910. There are a limited number of appointments available, and clients must meet income guidelines and supply verifiable information. To qualify, a family's annual income must be in accordance with the fiscal year 2025 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) eligibility guidelines. Applicants will need to provide a current electrical bill, social security card for each member of the household, a picture ID and proof of income over the last 30 days for each adult. Applicants will be required to come to the EOA Cuyler building at 618 West Anderson Street for their appointments. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
