Congress must invest in energy justice and equity in the next coronavirus recovery package. This includes providing additional funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Low income and minority households who make less than 50 percent of area median income are 27 percent more energy-cost burdened than residents from the same wage bracket that live in a white neighborhood.¹ In the face of COVID-19 and the economic fallout, disadvantaged communities will need LIHEAP assistance more than ever as the hot summer months approach. Before the pandemic, individuals and families would escape the heat by going to malls, libraries and other places. But because of social distancing to reduce the spread, those options may not be available. Congress must provide additional stimulus funding for LIHEAP.²

_{End Notes
1.}
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/11/minority-utility-costs-burden-energy-discimination-research/602452/
_2.
https://blog.ucsusa.org/adrienne-hollis/why-congress-must-invest-in-environmental-justice-and-equity-in-the-next-recovery-package