Extra $1.2 million headed for Nevada for energy assistance

Monday, Jan. 8, 2001 | 9:35 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- An extra $1.2 million in federal funds is headed to Nevada to help low-income families pay their energy bills, just as the price of natural gas is skyrocketing.

The state usually receives about $2 million annually, but President Clinton has released extra money because of the cold weather in the Midwest and East.

Rota Rosaschi, chief of benefits and support for the state Welfare Division, said she expects a bump in the number of people who apply for the assistance as they get their new, higher bills. The division serves anywhere from 8,300 to 8,500 families a year.

The money is used to pay the heating bills in Northern Nevada and the heating and cooling bills in Southern Nevada.

"This is truly designed to help the needy, whose bill may have been $85 a month and now it's bumped to $135," Rosaschi said.

The average award last year was $211, but some people get up to $600 in emergency assistance to pay their power or natural gas bills. Rosaschi said she expects the amount of the grant to increase with the rising fuel prices.

The state, she said, has to devise a new program to not only serve those who have already qualified, but also to handle the new people who have never received money in the past.

To qualify for the fuel assistance program, a family of four must make less than $2,131 a month before taxes. A family of three is eligible with a gross income of $1,758 and one person who makes less than $1,043 a month before taxes can sign up.

The state Public Utilities Commission authorized Southwest Gas Corp. to raise rates by 23.8 percent in Southern Nevada effective this month. The extra money would reimburse Southwest for the higher prices it pays for fuel.

Rates for Nevada Power have risen more than 10 percent since last July in Clark County. Another small increase is expected Feb. 1.

Southwest has encouraged customers who have trouble paying their bills to seek assistance, and offers an equal payment plan that allows customers to pay the same amount every month for a year instead of roller-coaster bills depending on the use of energy and the season.