Missouri’s Congressional delegation is being asked to press to find more money to help the poor pay their winter heating bills. Public Service Commission Chairman Steve Gaw notes federal funding of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, has stayed the same for the past three years even as natural gas prices have nearly tripled. Missouri typically receives slightly more than 40-Million dollars in federal heating assistance each winter. That helps about 158,000 families. A recent study estimated the state could easily use $286-Million, which would allow it to help pay the heating bills of more than 600,000 families.
