Nixon seeks energy assistance funding from Congress

“Low-income residents of Missouri and other states face severe hardships this winter,” Nixon wrote in the letter he sent to Congress.

The Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration is predicting that natural gas costs for the Midwest will be 61 percent higher this winter than in winter 2004, according to a news release from Nixon’s office.

Nixon sent his letter to Congress after a bipartisan group of governors from 27 states, not including Missouri, sent a similar letter on Sept. 28 to Congress and to President Bush requesting nearly $1.3 billion in emergency funds for the assistance program.

“The absence of Missouri from (the governors’) letter should not suggest that Missourians do not need assistance,” Nixon said. “Covering the dramatic increases in natural gas and heating oil prices will pose an immense challenge to many as winter arrives.”

As Missouri’s consumer advocate, Nixon continues to monitor the marketing practices of energy providers, but he said safeguards such as the low-income assistance program must be in place and adequately funded to alleviate hardship that Missourians will face if they can’t afford ballooning bills for electricity, natural gas or propane.