Washington, DC---Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry today announced that $11.5 million in contingency funds from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program are being provided to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

"Senator Kennedy is very pleased that these much-needed funds will be available to assist the most vulnerable citizens of the Commonwealth this winter. It’s highly likely that additional assistance will be needed, but this is a good start,” said Kennedy spokesperson Melissa Wagoner.

“This emergency funding can’t come soon enough for families and seniors already struggling to deal with out-of-control energy prices,” Senator Kerry said. “Hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents typically need federal fuel assistance to heat their homes and with the fundamentals of our economy anything but sound right now, Senator Kennedy and I are working tirelessly to make sure no one in Massachusetts goes cold this winter.”

The release of contingency funds brings the total amount of LIHEAP assistance granted to Massachusetts to $126.5 million this year.

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