The state needs to extend the Energy Assistance program

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Good news for many who struggle to cover winter energy expenses: Minnesota’s Energy Assistance program is open for the season and providing heating heating assistance to Minnesota households, as it has for more than 40 years. Unfortunately, available assistance will fall far short of the need — and it’s not available at all during the summer, when households are most likely to face utility shut-offs. That’s why we are calling on the state of Minnesota to expand the program.

The federally funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides vital relief during the winter months, helping families and individuals manage heating costs so they can stay safe and warm.

Roughly 500,000 Minnesota households are eligible for Energy Assistance, but only about a quarter of those households end up receiving assistance. Meanwhile, people have fallen further behind on their energy bills in recent years. Facing compounding pressures from inflation, the cost of housing and lingering effects of the pandemic, Minnesotans are now more than $100 million past-due to their utilities.

The consequences are real. More Minnesotans have had their gas or electric service shut off this year than any time in at least a decade. The majority of these shut-offs occur between June and September — after the Cold Weather Rule protections end, and when Energy Assistance is not available to help.

As our summers become hotter and more unpredictable, our state’s focus solely on heating leaves a dangerous gap. The absence of cooling assistance leaves thousands of Minnesotans — elderly people, young children and those with pre-existing medical conditions — exposed to severe health risks. This is more than an inconvenience; it is a public health issue.

According to the National Weather Service, extreme heat is now the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States, claiming more lives annually than hurricanes, floods or tornadoes. This fact alone should spur urgent legislative action. Minnesota has already felt the effects of this trend, with summer temperatures hitting record highs and heat waves becoming more frequent and intense.

For too many families, this situation presents an impossible choice. Many have to go without food or medicine or take out predatory payday loans to keep the lights on.

Most states already provide Energy Assistance in the summer months — including our Midwest neighbors in North Dakota and Nebraska. It’s time for Minnesota to join their ranks.

That’s why our organizations are working together to ask the Minnesota Legislature to provide additional funding for Energy Assistance and to keep the program open through the summer. We’re joined by more than a dozen utility companies and advocates for various Minnesota communities. Our diverse groups represent a broad spectrum of Minnesotans, but we all agree: Everyone should have access to a safe, comfortable home year-round.

The Energy Assistance program has provided crucial support to Minnesotans for more than 40 years. The state should act now to protect its residents.

In the meantime, to find out more about Energy Assistance and apply, visit mn.gov/energyassistance.

Karleen Kos is the chief executive officer of the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association, a not-for-profit organization representing hometown utilities and their ratepayers; Annie Levenson-Falk is the executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota, a nonprofit advocate for the state’s utility consumers; Lori Schultz is the executive director of MinnCAP, the membership organization for Minnesota’s network of 24 Community Action Agencies; Darrick Moe is president and CEO of the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, a not-for-profit trade association serving Minnesota’s electric cooperatives.