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CT plans to increase low-income energy assistance this winter

A thermostat in a home.
Jesse Costa
/
WBUR
A thermostat in a home.

Low-income Connecticut families could get more state aid to help with rising energy costs this winter.

The aid will come from the state’s special federal cuts mitigation fund, which lawmakers created last fall, according to Governor Ned Lamont.

“We created the Trump relief fund about $500 million in anticipation of things that are suddenly happening either out of the Big Beautiful Bill that cuts things or, in this case, the war in Iran, which is driving up the cost of home heating oil,” Lamont said.

The governor controls the fund. It has about $313 million, after about $187 million has been used for social investments, food assistance (SNAP) and health coverage.

“I’ll be asking legislative leadership to use some of that fund to give people a little bit of relief because the price of home heating could go up 70% or 80% this year,” he said.

The home heating relief would be channeled through local energy assistance programs across the state.

As WSHU Public Radio’s award-winning senior political reporter, Ebong Udoma draws on his extensive tenure to delve deep into state politics during a major election year.