Oakes to House Energy and Tech Committee: Preserve the LIEEF; Don't Resort to One-Time Fix

Assistance program for the low income faces elimination under House Energy & Tech Committee Chair's recently introduced bill

SAGINAW - State Rep. Stacy Erwin Oakes (D-Saginaw) is calling on the House Committee on Energy and Technology to preserve the Low Income Energy Efficiency Fund (LIEEF). The House Energy and Technology Committee will be taking up House Bill 5190, which provides that a utility cannot charge a customer to help fund the LIEFF. In addition, The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) would refund all money being held in escrow for LIEEF to the customers it was collected from.

The LIEEF had a proven history of working well to provide heating assistance to the low-income and to promote energy efficiency amongst all consumers.” Oakes instead urged the committee to move HB 5008, a bill which would grant the MPSC authority to administer the LIEEF as suggested by the Michigan Court of Appeals. A recent court decision found that the administration of the LIEEF did not fall within the scope of the MPSC powers due to an oversight by the Michigan Legislature.

In addition to HB 5190, HB 5189, which was referred to the House Appropriations Committee, would appropriate $62 million in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding to prevent utility shut off and restore utility service. “We need a long-term fix for preserving the LIEEF, the legislature should not be using one-time funds from the feds,” Oakes stated.

The elimination of the LIEEF program will not only impact the low-income, but will also affect the funding of energy efficiency programs across the state. One such agency which received these funds is the Saginaw County Community Action Committee, Inc. Lillie Williams, Saginaw CAC Executive Director, has expressed her concerns.

“The LIEEF program provided essential funding for community weatherization projects,” Williams stated. “Greater efficiency leads to lower utility bills for consumers of all incomes. I fear that the weatherization jobs created by this program will vanish when the LIEEF funding dries up thereby leaving Saginaw residents with homes which are much more costly to heat,” Williams expressed.