WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that $9.7 million dollars is being directed to Alaska through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution.

Earlier this year, Senator Murkowski joined a bipartisan effort to include language in the current continuing resolution that assured that the Obama Administration would allocate federal funding at the Fiscal Year 2012 level. Otherwise, the White House had planned to reduce funds from $3.47 billion to $2.82 billion for this winter – a nearly 20 percent cut in a struggling economy as energy prices rise.

“I’ve visited dozens of communities in the last few months, and the concerns I hear the most about are fish and the cost of energy,” said Murkowski. “That’s why I have taken this fight on and dug in, because Alaskans are faced with a double-whammy: our winter is colder and our energy is more expensive than what most Americans face. These funds help avoid life-threatening situations.”

ABOUT LIHEAP – In 2012, Alaska LIHEAP provided 19,000 households with an average of $1,120 in financial assistance, oftentimes for the most vulnerable Alaskans.

· Elderly (15%)

· Disabled (40%)

· Children under 5 (38%)