Energy Assistance In Iowa Gets Boost From Utilites

On December 23, heating assistance programs for low-income and elderly Iowans got a $4.2 million boost from the Iowa Utilities Board. The board approved plans from MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy to direct some "found money" towards the programs.

MidAmerican's I Care fund will receive $2.5 million in insurance money left over from the cleanup of 22 manufactured natural gas plants. Those plants, which had been used to make natural gas from coal, had been closed since the 1950s, spokesman Allan Urlis said.

Alliant's Hometown Care Energy Fund will receive $2.7 million from a settlement for claims against the U.S. Department of Energy involving uranium enrichment.

The funds will be distributed to LIHEAP-eligible households through local community action agencies.

Source: The Des Moines Register

Page Last Updated: December 27, 2005