Gov. Deval Patrick signs bill increasing low-income heating assistance
The state will provide $21 million to increase fuel assistance for low-income residents, following the signing of a supplemental budget by Governor Deval Patrick.
The state money, combined with the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, brings total funding for heating assistance in Massachusetts to $153.6 million in this fiscal year, which began in October. The added state money will boost the maximum benefit per household to $1,095, slightly more than the previous year.
Heating oil prices have hovered at or near record levels this winter. Last week, the fuel averaged $4.14 a gallon in Massachusetts, according to a state survey.
“This funding will provide critical assistance for Massachusetts families and individuals struggling to heat their homes,’’ Patrick said in a statement Tuesday.
Separately, the administration said it has asked the state’s gas and electric utilities to voluntarily extend the moratorium on service shut-offs by a month to April 16. State regulations prohibit cutting the service of low income customers for non-payment of bills between November 15 and March 15.
Two utilities so far have agreed to the extension. They are Columbia Gas, which serves just under 300,000 customers in Western and Southeastern Massachusetts and the Merrimack Valley, and New England Gas, with just over 53,000 customers in communities including Fall River, Dartmouth, and Attleboro.
“This action will provide much-needed relief to these families who are unable to cover their home heating costs,’’ said DPU Chair Ann Berwick.
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