Governor Gregoire: Help is On the Way for Home Heating

For Immediate Release: January 12, 2006

Governor signs first bill of the year to help low-income families with home heating costs

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today signed legislation to send $7.6 million to hard-hit families to help pay heating bills. The bill is the first signed by Governor Gregoire this year and was passed by the House and Senate this week at the Governor�s request.

�I am challenging you to pass, in the first week of this session, initial assistance for our neighbors and friends who are struggling with high home heating bills,� Governor Gregoire said on Tuesday during her State of the State address to legislators. �Washington families shouldn�t be left in the cold while the oil companies cash in on record returns.�

None of the money appropriated in the bill can be used for administrative costs � it will go directly to help low-income Washington families. The funding comes from enforcement fines and is expected to provide, on average, $350 of heating assistance to approximately 14,000 families.

The bill that helps low-income people pay winter energy costs is part of a larger proposal by Governor Gregoire to address the impacts of high energy costs. Other legislation she has proposed would:

Give utilities more incentive to help low-income citizens pay bills by allowing utilities to keep $6 million more of the state public utilities excise tax to boost subsidies for low-income households. The Governor's supplemental budget proposal also would provide up to $1.5 million from the same funding sources to help natural gas suppliers assist small businesses in conserving energy.

Provide financial help for schools and public facilities this winter. The Governor's budget proposal would provide $16.4 million from the state General Fund to cover higher-than-expected costs for energy in our schools and state facilities, and for fuel for school buses and state ferries.

Make more homes energy efficient. The Governor has proposed a one-time, $4.5 million increase in funding for the Housing Trust Fund to improve energy efficiency for low-income households through the existing Energy MatchMaker grant program.

Improve opportunities for small renewable energy generation. Under another proposal from the Governor, current law would be revised to give consumers incentive to develop more of their own renewable energy resources, and sell more of the energy they generate back to utilities.

�My energy agenda will work for Washington State and its citizens to travel the path to energy independence,� said Governor Gregoire. �This agenda will start to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create new markets for crops grown in Washington.�

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