FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2023
Contact: Astrid DuBois, 646-866-8485, astrid@weact.org
WASHINGTON – WE ACT for Environmental Justice applauds the introduction of the Heating and Cooling Relief Act of 2023 by U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman and U.S. Senator Edward Markey. This legislation invests $40 billion annually to universalize the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and increase accessibility, while decreasing energy burdens for low-income households and communities of color. In addition, this bill addresses the disproportionate impact climate change has on historically disinvested communities by providing increased funding for cooling utilities and support for the transition to renewable energy sources. Environmental justice communities need investments like this that address longstanding inequities, while ensuring a better path forward with provisions to strengthen workforce development and climate resiliency, while protecting households from utility debt, shutoffs, and energy burden.
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan membership-based organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.