Wednesday, Feb 23 2011 10:06AM
Many Alaskans need energy assistance programs so they can purchase radiators and other heating devices that will keep them warm through freezing temperatures.
Alaskan lawmakers said the state will continue to support energy assistance programs for low-income residents even if funding is cut by the federal government, reported the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
Any cuts to the program could cause considerable problems for Alaska's rural communities, which are often located in some of the state's coldest regions and usually consist of lower-income residents. The newspaper reported that Karen Rehfed, the director of the governor's Office of Management and Budget, told Alaska's Senate Finance Committee the state will step in and provide some of the difference if federal funding is reduced.
An energy bill approved in 2010 called for the step, saying the state is authorized to compensate if it is not awarded enough federal funding, according to the paper.
Alaska is set to receive about $13.7 million through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which the paper said will extend energy assistance to 11,000 homes. Comparatively, the state's version of the rural community assistance program — the Alaska Affordable Heating Program — will only assist about 2,200 homes.
Energy funding is crucial in the Last Frontier, as Alaska's Department of Energy reports that because the state experiences the coldest temperatures in the nation, residents consume the most energy per capita.