WASHINGTON, DC With triple digit temperatures scorching communities from Maine to Oklahoma, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jack Reed (D-RI), co-chairs of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition, today sent a letter to President George W. Bush urging him to immediately release the remaining $101.5 million in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) emergency/contingency fund to provide relief to families coping with the heat wave. Those families and senior citizens who can not afford to pay their home energy bills face serious risks whether it is because it is too cold in the winter, or too hot in the summer, said Senator Collins. We must do all we can to help those who are currently coping with this blistering heat afford the high cost of keeping cool.We need to give people some relief from this heat. Record high energy prices coupled with the massive heat wave that is gripping the nation could put many low-income families and seniors at great risk for heat-related illness, said Reed. This is an extremely serious situation. I urge the President to release all contingency LIHEAP funding to help those who cannot afford to cool their homes in the midst of record-breaking temperatures.LIHEAP is a federal block grant program that provides states with annual funding to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. Many low-income families do not have adequate resources to pay their energy bills this summer. LIHEAP can provide life-saving assistance to provide air-conditioning and fans to the elderly and disabled. Each year, almost 5 million low-income families rely on LIHEAP to assist with the costs of heating and/or cooling their homes. Following is the full text of the letter:August 3, 2006The PresidentThe White HouseWashington, D.C. Dear Mr. President: We are writing to urge you to release all remaining contingency funds to help provide cooling assistance to low-income families this summer. According to NOAA meteorologists, an unusually strong ridge of high pressure that has been persistent for the last several weeks across much of the central and eastern U.S. is causing record high temperatures this summer. More than 50 new all-time high temperature records were established in the central and western U.S. during the last two weeks. The persistence of the unusually hot temperatures has made the past month one of the warmest since records began in 1895 for the contiguous U.S., according to NOAA. These searing temperatures, combined with record high electricity prices across the country, are putting many low-income families at risk for heat-related illnesses because they cannot afford the cost of electricity to cool their homes. Many low-income families do not have adequate resources to pay their energy bills this summer. LIHEAP can provide life-saving assistance to provide air-conditioning and fans to the elderly and disabled. Public health studies have documented that summer heat and heat waves can worsen cardiovascular disease (ischemic heart disease), increasing the risk of death from heart attack or stroke and increase the risk of death from pneumonia and other ailments for those with respiratory disease. Summer heat can also lead to hospitalization for those with pre-existing kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes and epilepsy. Indeed, the current heat wave sweeping the country has resulted in more than 160 deaths in California alone. These conditions can be mitigated by access to cooling during the summer months. Your release of all remaining contingency funds to help provide cooling assistance is imperative to help in the effort to safeguard the healthand the livesof low-income families across the nation. Sincerely, Jack ReedSusan M. Collins