Despite the growing concern of heat-related illnesses and climate change, people have far fewer protections from power shutoffs during the summer than they do in the winter. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, has about $6 billion in funds for fiscal 2023, which runs through September. The association is calling on Congress to provide an additional $3 billion for cooling assistance this summer, which would help about 6 million households. And it is asking utilities to voluntarily suspend shutoffs this summer for those behind on their bills. Florida Power & Light, for instance, has a longstanding policy that it won’t disconnect customers if it’s 95 degrees or higher.

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Persons: David Konisky, ”, Konisky, Mark Wolfe, That’s, Wolfe, it’s, Bianca Soriano, Soriano Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Weather Service, Center for Energy, National Energy Assistance, Association, Energy, Indiana University, Centers for Disease Control, Income, Energy Assistance, Lawmakers, US Energy Information Administration, Louisiana —, Florida, Customers Locations: New York, United States, Washington, DC, Delaware, Nevada, Colorado , Missouri, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Florida