Frigid temperatures this weekend prompt cold weather advisories

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When Bemidji resident Tommy Tiokasin woke up Tuesday morning to get his teenage son off to school, he noted it was 24 degrees outside. 

“It’s a little chilly,” Tiokasin said. “It’ll be like a heat wave, 24 on up.” 

Tiokasin applied to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program back in September. He’s received assistance for the past seven years. In the past, he received a letter at the start of November from his local community action program that allowed him to plan his budget. 

This year, the federal shutdown has meant a delay in that assistance. 

“They sent me back a letter saying that they don't know if we're going to get any funding, and if we do, it'll be extremely late,” Tiokasin said. 

Tiokasin is among the 80,000 Minnesotans who have applied for energy assistance in Minnesota, and who now wait to find out when it might arrive. 

The Minnesota Department of Commerce administers the state’s energy assistance program. Lissa Pawlisch is assistant commissioner for federal and state initiatives at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Pawlisch says Minnesota is fortunate to have a cold weather rule. It means that residents' utilities, like electricity or gas, cannot be shut off over the winter if they sign up and maintain a payment plan.  

Pawlisch says one effect of the ongoing shutdown is clear. 

“Often, those households use energy assistance dollars to help fulfill the payment plan,” said Pawlisch. “So, the longer we go without those dollars, the less likely those households are to be able to make that payment plan.” 

She says about 70 percent of those who qualify for heating assistance live in greater Minnesota. Three quarters of qualified households are home to either a person with a disability, a child under age 6, or a senior on a fixed income. 

She says that people who use what’s called “delivered fuel,” propane or heating oil, do not have the same protection. State law does require propane distributors who offer customers a budget plan to offer that same plan to all customers, including those on energy assistance. 

When the shutdown does end, Pawlisch says it could take up to a month before people in Minnesota receive heating assistance. 

“It typically takes about a month for the dollars to get to Minnesota. We would expect the same. It’s going to be about 30 days from whenever that budget passes to get those dollars to Minnesota,” Pawlisch said. 

After the state receives funding, Pawlisch says it will take just a couple of days for the state to distribute that money to people. 

Tiokasin says he’s been able to stay current with his heating bill. He says he’s most concerned about his neighbors. 

“I'm concerned for especially our elders and people that are not mobile and that don't have resources for extra income at this time,” Tiokasin said. 

On Monday the U.S. Senate voted on a bill that would end the federal shutdown. The U.S. House is scheduled to take a vote late Wednesday. 

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The Minnesota Department of Commerce administers the energy assistance program for the state. The federal shutdown has meant a delay in that assistance. Even when the shutdown ends, the funds will take weeks to get into the hands of those who need it, according to the department.

Delays to energy assistance program predicted to persist after federal shutdown ends

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