Highlighting customer impact

During LIHEAP Action Day, we conducted 25 meetings with congressional representatives and staff from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, highlighting the direct impact of LIHEAP funding on customers. Our community action partners provided customer testimonials underscoring the critical need for the program and its benefit to low-income households.

“Our commitment goes beyond advocacy. We are taking action to ensure our customers receive the support they need,” said Sandra Diggs-Miller, Entergy’s vice president of consumer and advocacy programs. “Our commitment is reflected not only in our presence on Capitol Hill, but also in our ongoing efforts to provide direct assistance to our customers who need it the most.”

Legislators expressed strong bipartisan support for the LIHEAP program and acknowledged its vital role in assisting low-income families. Many also recognized that current funding allocations do not fully meet the demand, leaving many households at risk.

Building on advocacy efforts

To build on the progress made during LIHEAP Day, we will continue to engage with policymakers regarding the program’s impact, while strengthening partnerships with advocacy groups and stakeholders to ensure a unified voice in future funding efforts.

Access to affordable energy is a critical issue for millions of households. Entergy is committed to working with federal and local leaders to support policies that provide reliable assistance to customers in need. By continuing to advocate for LIHEAP funding, Entergy reinforces our commitment to ensuring energy security for the most vulnerable communities.

Throughout the day, our team engaged in meaningful discussions on Capitol Hill with key policymakers who represent our service areas of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Notably, our representatives had the honor of meeting with influential members of Congress, including Senator John Boozman of Arkansas, Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Congressman Randy Weber of Texas. In total, Entergy visited 24 congressional offices, conveying the profound impact that LIHEAP funds have on our vulnerable customers and communities.

“LIHEAP funding is a lifeline and beacon of hope for our vulnerable customers and communities,” said Patty Riddlebarger, Entergy vice president of corporate social responsibility. “It empowers individuals and families to stay warm, safe and connected, even in the harshest circumstances. Without adequate funding, families face the impossible choice between keeping their power on and putting food on the table. Now, more than ever, securing LIHEAP funding is critical to helping our neighbors in need during times of changing climate and economic uncertainties.”

Adding an invaluable perspective to these discussions, Entergy’s LIHEAP customers also played a vital role in these discussions. They shared their personal experiences and stories with members of Congress, highlighting the crucial role that LIHEAP plays in their lives and the lives of their families. Their voices helped shine a spotlight on the pressing need for sustained and critical funding.

With a commitment to powering life for our neighbors in need, our representatives, community partners and LIHEAP customers united to spread awareness about the importance of sustaining LIHEAP. Together, we strive to ensure that vulnerable individuals and families have access to vital energy assistance programs that can make a tangible difference in their lives.

Beyond LIHEAP Action Day, Entergy hosts multiple outreach events throughout the year in close collaboration with our community partners. These events serve as platforms to increase awareness and provide valuable support to individuals navigating the LIHEAP application process. To learn more about LIHEAP and other energy assistance programs, visit entergy.com/billhelp.

During LIHEAP Action Day, Entergy partnered with four action agencies, which strengthened the initiative’s success as they advocated to key policymakers on behalf of our vulnerable communities. They spent the day meeting with members of Congress, including U.S. Senators John Boozman of Arkansas and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, educating them about LIHEAP’s critical service that helps low-income households afford utility costs. In total, Entergy visited 24 House and Senate offices, reinforcing how powerful these funds can be in the lives of our customers.

“LIHEAP provides energy assistance for eligible families surviving on a limited or fixed income,” said Patty Riddlebarger, vice president of corporate social responsibility. “Funding is crucial especially with a rise in energy costs due to extreme weather conditions, high inflation and interest rates.”

According to the National ���ϳԹ��� and Utility Affordability Coalition, the number of households eligible for LIHEAP in the states where Entergy has residential customers total:

• 326,000 in Arkansas.
• 594,000 in Louisiana.
• 337,000 in Mississippi.
• 2,583,000 in Texas.

“Despite the large number of customers eligible for assistance, Entergy’s service area states are only able to serve about 12 percent of these households. We travel to the nation’s capital representing families who are unable to receive assistance due to insufficient funding. Without LIHEAP, many must choose between buying food or medicine and paying their electric bill,” said Liz Brister, manager of low-income programs.

Entergy employees and advocates participating in annual legislative updates in Washington, D.C., met with Sen. John Boozman and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Throughout the year, Entergy hosts multiple outreach events with community partners to increase awareness and support our customers with the LIHEAP application process. To learn more about LIHEAP and other energy assistance programs, visit entergy.com/billhelp.

Twelve Entergy employees, along with local community action and utility partners, attended 26 meetings with Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas congressional members and their staff to deliver the message that LIHEAP is underfunded and serving only a fraction of families in our service territory who qualify for assistance.

The team was joined by three LIHEAP recipients from Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana who shared their personal stories about their challenges and the lifesaving assistance LIHEAP provided to help them during hard times.

Team members urged Congress to help more families by using the latest energy prices and socioeconomic data to help determine where funds are sent. They also asked Congress to grow LIHEAP funding to better support residents of all states. 

LIHEAP is a Lifesaver

Since its establishment in 1981, LIHEAP has been a vital safety net for low and fixed-income households. The federal program assists low-income households whose summer and winter energy costs can require over one-third of their income.

The program is literally a lifesaver for many, as increasingly severe temperatures threaten the health and welfare of the approximately 25% of Entergy customers who live in poverty. Unfortunately, unlike some programs that get indexed funding increases, LIHEAP requires annual congressional appropriation. 

That means while the need has increased, LIHEAP’s reach has decreased. 

Only 13% of eligible households served on average in Entergy’s four-state utility service area receive LIHEAP’s help. Thousands of veterans, elderly or disabled residents, and young children living in our communities don’t receive LIHEAP’s help, even though they qualify for it. That is why, since 2007, Entergy has led a multiyear campaign to convince Congress to save, sustain and better fund the program.

Team members with Arkansas Representative French Hill (third from left).

LIHEAP is a federal program that helps reduce the burden of home energy costs for an estimated 6 million households. The program is literally a lifesaver for many, as increasingly severe temperatures can threaten the health and welfare of the approximately 25 percent of Entergy customers who live in poverty.

But only a fraction of families who qualify actually receive assistance through LIHEAP. The program is drastically underfunded, and a program earmark favors relief for heating costs in cold-weather states and diverts millions of dollars away from needy customers in warm-weather states, including the four states Entergy serves.

In the meantime, the population of customers who need help remains high while severe weather conditions and frequency escalate, often pushing electricity bills beyond the means of low-income customers.

Last year, thanks to Entergy employees’ and community partners’ continued advocacy, Congress provided a $300 million increase for LIHEAP nationally – growing the program from $3.39 billion to $3.69 billion. More importantly, it began addressing the longstanding funding formula issue to send more dollars to Entergy’s customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Orleans, and Texas.

Last year’s increased funding of LIHEAP allowed Entergy to serve almost 4,500 additional households – making a big impact on our community. Another 13,000 bills were paid through Entergy’s The Power to Care program, which helps low-income, elderly or disabled customer pay their energy bills in times of financial distress. Entergy’s advocates on Capitol Hill discussed the need to continue building on last year’s momentum so that Entergy can continue to serve even more customers in need.

This lifesaving program steps in when people fall on hard times. LIHEAP is there to help people in emergency situations. LIHEAP is not an ongoing entitlement program, but it’s something that people need to get them over a hurdle, so they can continue with their lives.

You can help by urging your elected officials to protect LIHEAP and by donating here to the Entergy’s customer assistance program, The Power to Care. When you donate, your contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the company’s shareholders. Contributions by Entergy’s customers, employees and shareholders help fill in the gaps left by LIHEAP by offering one-time bill payment assistance to neighbors in need.

For more information about LIHEAP assistance, please visit entergy.com.

Liz Brister, manager of Entergy’s low-income programs, is a lifelong community advocate and serves on the board of the National ���ϳԹ��� & Utility Affordability Coalition that organizes LIHEAP Action Day.

This week, I am honored to travel to Washington, D.C., as part of Action Day for America’s Low Income Home ���ϳԹ��� Assistance Program. During these face-to-face meetings with well-known congressmen, senators and staffers, it will be the little-known and often overlooked faces of James, Beulah and Heather I will have in mind. While their names are not real, their daily struggle is. Their households are among the nearly four million in states served by Entergy’s utility companies that qualify for LIHEAP.

LIHEAP is a critical service that helps low-income residents manage heating and cooling costs. The program is literally a lifesaver for many, as increasingly severe temperatures can threaten the health and welfare of the 25 percent of Entergy customers who live in poverty. 

Brister and Entergy’s Brady Aldy (right) met with U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman, Arkansas.

Today, only a fraction of families who qualify actually receive assistance through LIHEAP. The program has been drastically underfunded in recent years while the eligible population grows, weather conditions become more severe and utility bills are pushed beyond the means of low-income customers.

Through in-person meetings this week during LIHEAP Action Day, our coalition of Entergy representatives and local community advocates will encourage our legislators to turn the tide on LIHEAP by increasing funding and ensuring residents in the states with the highest rates of poverty receive their fair share of support.

Our advocacy for LIHEAP is one of the many ways Entergy helps power life for low-income customers through a wide range of community improvement programs. Our own energy assistance fund, The Power to Care, makes emergency bill payments for nearly 15,000 qualifying customers annually. The Power to Care is funded through the charitable donations of our customers, employees and owners.

My hope is that by sharing the stories of James, Beulah and Heather this week with legislators, I will help put a face on a very real need that LIHEAP can so easily relieve if fully and fairly funded.

You can help. Encourage our congressional delegation to action by adding your organization’s name to a letter of support . If you’d like to also help your neighbors in need through Entergy’s The Power to Care, contributions can be made here.

Liz Brister, manager of Entergy’s low-income programs, is a lifelong community advocate and serves on the board of the National ���ϳԹ��� & Utility Affordability Coalition that organizes LIHEAP Action Day.

NEW ORLEANS, LA. — During LIHEAP Action Day March 2, ���ϳԹ��� representatives and community partners will be making the case for increased funding of the Low Income Home ���ϳԹ��� Assistance Program. The funding goal is at least $4.7 billion for 2017.

Entergy representatives and advocates like this team who championed for additional LIHEAP funding in Washington last year will be back on the Hill March 2 to raise awareness of the needs of low-income customers in hot-weather states. 2014 participants included from left: Patrick Johnson of TXU ���ϳԹ���, Karen Swenson of GETCAP, Brian Garcia of Entergy Texas, Kim Campbell of TXU ���ϳԹ��� and Vernon Pierce of Entergy Texas.

Face-to-face meetings with congressional leaders on Capitol Hill will address the need for better funding for hot-weather states through the federal program. Advocates will also highlight the current method of distributing available funds, which leaves many families in the hottest, poorest states struggling to meet basic needs such as heating and cooling costs.

Funding of LIHEAP has dropped by a third from $5.1 billion in 2009 to $3.4 billion today. This reduction limits the level of assistance available for the more than 3.8 million qualifying households in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas — the four states in which Entergy’s utility customers reside.

Restoring funding could result in an estimated $450 million in assistance, capable of helping thousands of qualifying households in Entergy’s utility service area of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In 2015, these states received an estimated $210 million from LIHEAP.  Within Entergy’s utility service territories, more than 185,500 families were assisted.

“The $240 million difference reflects the magnitude of need that cannot currently be met unless Congress properly and better funds this program,” said Elizabeth Brister, manager of Entergy’s low-income initiatives. “Participating in LIHEAP Action Day is one of the many ways we power life for our customers, including those in need.”

Read more about Entergy’s low-income initiatives here.

���ϳԹ��� is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11.5 billion and more than 13,000 employees.

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Entergy.com

NEW ORLEANS – The Low Income Home ���ϳԹ��� Assistance Program serves a vital, life-saving role by helping needy customers afford to keep their homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. But funding of the federal program has dropped by more than a third from its 2009 level of $5.1 billion to $3.3 billion today. Low-income advocates from ���ϳԹ��� (NYSE: ETR) are urging congressional leaders to better protect vulnerable families struggling to meet basic needs, including heating and cooling costs.

In 2012 within the four states Entergy serves, an estimated 385,000 families received assistance from LIHEAP. More than 3.5 million households qualify for the program. 

During LIHEAP Action Day April 10, Entergy representatives and community partners will be working hard to get LIHEAP funding –and the families who need this program– turned around.  Personal meetings with congressional delegates, grassroots email campaigns and active partnerships with the National Fuel Fund Network, other organizations and utilities are all part of this effort.

The goal is to restore LIHEAP funding to at least $4.7 billion for 2014. The increase would result in as much as $479 million in assistance for families in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. 

“We recognize that Congress is facing some tough fiscal decisions,” said Patty Riddlebarger, director of corporate social responsibility for Entergy. “However, this program and the low income population it serves have already borne significant cuts.

“At a time when poverty has increased, median household incomes and savings have decreased, and thousands of new record temperatures are being set in both summer and winter,” she said, “better funding of LIHEAP is crucial.”

Participating in LIHEAP Action Day is just one of the many steps Entergy takes on behalf of needy customers.  Entergy employees, shareholders and customers contribute more than $2.2 million to The Power to Care fund, where every penny raised goes toward helping neighbors struggling to pay utility bills.

“As ���ϳԹ��� celebrates its 100^th birthday, we are mindful that our future depends on the health and vitality of the communities we serve,” said Riddlebarger.  “Supporting LIHEAP upholds our legacy and commitment to serving all customers, including those in need.”

���ϳԹ���, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year, is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and approximately 15,000 employees.

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entergy.com
Twitter: @entergy

WASHINGTON – A coalition of politicians, customer advocates and utility employees this week called for Congress to fully fund the Low Income Home ���ϳԹ��� Assistance Program in the next federal budget and expand the program so more money is available to help pay summer cooling bills.

More than 70 advocates, including 10 Entergy employees, and a LIHEAP recipient made their plea during a Capitol Hill press conference and in meetings with members of congressional delegations from the four states served by Entergy utilities.  Speakers asked Congress to continue funding LIHEAP at $5.1 billion in the next budget.

The employees and advocates were taking part in the annual LIHEAP Washington Action Day event – organized by the National Fuel Funds Network, the Edison Electric Institute and the American Gas Association – to promote the program. LIHEAP is the primary government tool to help pay household energy bills of eligible low-income families, especially those with elderly, disabled or young children, facing one-time emergency situations or victims of catastrophes like south Louisiana residents affected by the Gulf oil spill.

It is the first LIHEAP Action Day held in the summer, a move meant to spotlight the needs of at-risk Americans in warm-weather states. Nationwide, only about 10 percent of Entergy News Release LIHEAP funds are devoted to summer cooling programs.  Even with an appropriation of $5.1 billion for fiscal year 2010, estimates are LIHEAP will only reach about one out of every five eligible American households.

Speaking in support of strengthening the program were U.S. Reps. Gene Green and Sheila Jackson Lee, both Texas Democrats.

During Wednesday’s press conference, Conway, Ark., resident Jema Quintana told how LIHEAP helped her and her young daughter get their power restored after she lost one of the two part-time jobs she was working and a broken-down car left her in financial disarray and with no other place to turn for help.

“It got so bad that my daughter and I had to use the coffee pot at the local convenience store to cook noodles so we had something to eat,” Quintana said. “We were at home in the dark and I just remember feeling ‘Oh my God, what in the world am I going to do?’ My daughter asked why the house was dark, and I told her the lights were broken. What do you say to your kid in a situation like that?

“The discomfort was more than physical,” she said. “When you come home and the power is off, there is no white noise, there is no comfort. It’s dead silence, and it’s just not healthy. I got really depressed. You feel as if there is no hope. I couldn’t see my way out.”

Quintana received help when a friend told her about LIHEAP. She now works for the agency where she first sought help.

“I know what our clients are going through. I’m not just somebody telling them rules. I was a client. I know how frustrating it is being dropped off and not having all of the paper work you need to get help. I also know that the agency is doing its part. I can honestly tell people I do understand,” she said.

Along with the call for fully funding LIHEAP, speakers asked the Obama administration to release the remaining $100 million in the program’s contingency fund to help those suffering through record heat waves across the nation and to provide aid to Louisiana residents affected by the oil spill. The number of people seeking help grows each day, said Lorie Zylicz, who oversees the LIHEAP program for the St. Bernard Parish government. So far this year, LIHEAP has served 6,000 people in St. Bernard Parish, double the number for all of 2009, she said.

“We’ve all seen on TV the fishermen sitting idle, but the people you don’t see are the owners and employees of small businesses throughout the parish and elsewhere who support the fishing industry. You don’t see the owners of icehouses who used to supply the fishing boats.  You don’t see the employees of trucking companies who used to haul seafood all over the country,” Zylicz said. “We are hurting and we need help.”

Linda Barnes, manager of low-income initiatives for Entergy, said, “We need Congress to fully fund LIHEAP so people in financial crises can get some help.

“Extreme summer heat is the number one weather-related killer in the nation,” Barnes said. “The typical low-income family can spend up to 40 percent of their monthly budget on energy costs. LIHEAP is targeted to help those most vulnerable to extreme temperatures — the elderly, disabled and working families with young children.”

���ϳԹ��� is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and more than 15,000 employees.

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Entergy’s online address is entergy.com

Group Part of National Drive to Add Funding for LIHEAP

NEW ORLEANS – As record summer heat waves deliver higher energy bills to homes nationwide, customer advocates are heading to Congress Wednesday to urge continued strong funding for the Low Income Home ���ϳԹ��� Assistance Program.

���ϳԹ��� employees, advocates and LIHEAP recipients are taking part in the National Fuel Funds Network’s Washington Action Day for LIHEAP to increase awareness of the program’s importance and need for strong funding.  LIHEAP is the primary tool to help working-poor families, especially those with preschoolers, elderly or disabled individuals who are struggling to pay for their heating and cooling costs.  Voluntary initiatives run by Entergy, other utilities and charities don’t have the resources to meet the growing need.

A press conference will be held at 11:30 a.m. (Eastern) Wednesday on Capitol Hill with key legislative leaders and LIHEAP recipients to discuss the need for strong funding and the release of remaining contingency funds.

It is the first LIHEAP Action Day held in the summer, a move meant to help draw attention to the needs of at-risk Americans in warm-weather states. Nationwide, only about 10 percent of LIHEAP funds are devoted to summer cooling programs.  Federal statistics show temperatures are running above normal throughout much of the nation so far in 2010.    

“Extreme summertime heat is America’s number one weather-related killer.  High temperatures killed more people between 1994 and 2003 than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and lightning combined,” said Patty Riddlebarger, director of corporate social responsibility at Entergy.

“When you add that physical danger to the economic problems facing millions who’ve lost jobs over the last two years, the need to strengthen LIHEAP is greater than ever.  It is one of the most efficient and effective programs the government has to help people in crisis,” Riddlebarger said.

“We are urging Congress to budget at least $5.1 billion for LIHEAP during federal fiscal year 2011 and reauthorize the program through 2014,” Riddlebarger said. Funding for LIHEAP has been at $5.1 billion since the recession hit with full force in the fall of 2008.  

Although the number of households helped by LIHEAP increased in 2009, the federal program still reaches only one out of every five eligible households across the nation.  In Mississippi, 17 percent of eligible households receive help from LIHEAP, 19 percent in Louisiana, 24 percent in Arkansas and just 10 percent in Texas.

“Local administrators are reporting there’s a growing need. At current funding levels, LIHEAP can only serve about 20 percent of those who need help, so there is significant unmet need out there,” Riddlebarger said. “Releasing LIHEAP contingency funds now would mean help for thousands more families.”

Other Action Day sponsors include the Edison Electric Institute and the American Gas Association.

���ϳԹ��� (NYSE: ETR) is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and more than 15,000 employees.  For more information about Entergy, visit entergy.com.

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