By DON AINES dona@herald-mail.com
8:30 p.m. EST, December 5, 2011
The “crisis season” began Nov. 15 and runs through the end of March, but those who need help from the Maryland Energy Assistance Program to stay warm this winter will be waiting longer and receiving less.
“Please note that due to decreased funding, your benefit will be less,” the Office of Home Energy Programs advises on its website.
The reduction and holdup in funding is a result of the federal government’s lack of a budget, said Dave Jordan, executive director of the Washington County Community Action Council.
“Two years ago, the feds funded the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at its maximum amount of $5 billion nationwide,” Jordan said. That figure was reduced to $4.2 billion in the 2011 fiscal year and is expected to be $3.1 billion for fiscal 2012, which began Oct. 1.
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