A Lawn Sign on North Street Supporting the Candidacy of Governor Janet T. Mills (D) in the Upcoming November 8th Election over Paul LePage (R).
Late last week, Governor Janet T. Mills (D), the first woman Governor of Maine and its first AG, praised Congressional passage of a federal appropriations package containing $1 billion in emergency supplemental funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Program (LIHEAP) according to a press release issued by her office last Friday. The funding will provide an additional estimated $8 million to Maine to help ensure that Maine people are able to safely heat their homes this winter.
In anticipation of continued volatility in global energy markets, Governor Mills pressed federal officials to provide more funding for LIHEAP. In July, the Governor wrote to the Biden Administration urging an increase in LIHEAP funding and the Administration did include additional funding. Early last week, the Governor joined her fellow New England governors to urge Congressional leaders to prioritize additional supplemental LIHEAP funds as they considered a short-term government funding measure.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed the price of home heating fuels to historic highs This additinal LIHEAP funding will help to ensure that Maine’s most vulnerable seniors and families can heat their homes this winter,” wrote Governor Mills. “I thank Maine’s Congresstional Delegation for its advocacy which helped secure this funding. My Administration will continue to do everything possible to help Maine people stay warm as the colder months approach.”
Maine is the most heating oil dependent state in the country, with 60% of homes reliant on oil, compared to a national average of 4%. This makes Maine especially vulnerable to changes in global energy markets, with Maine consumers spending more than $4 billion annually to import fossil fuels into the state prior to the Russian induced price spike. The Mills Administration has made reducing Maine’s reliance on fossil fuels a priority by enacting some of the boldest renewable energy, emissions reductions and carbon neutrality goals in the nation, with the bipartisan support of the Legislature.