ENERGY ASSISTANCE MAY HAVE TO WAIT

The federal government shutdown is over but energy assistance remains out of reach for many Minnesotans.  State officials say the federally funded program, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP, could take up to 30 days for the money to get to Minnesota.  Minnesota received $125-million from the program last year which helped 125,000 households with utility bills through the state’s Energy Assistance Program.  Minnesota Department of Commerce Assistant Commissioner Lissa Pawlisch says funds would typically be flowing at this point.  She says that, one silver lining is that we are now under Minnesota’s Cold Weather Rule which protects income-eligible customers from disconnections during the heating season.  Officials say 89,000 households have applied for energy assistance as of this past week.