Even before the latest spate of arctic conditions gripped the northern half of the nation, many states were running out of money to help the disadvantaged with their heating bills.

In West Virginia, the doors to the state’s energy-assistance program have been closed for a month. Iowa has sliced its heating-assistance benefit by 30 percent. In Montana, the director of the state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program has personally fielded 50 to 100 phone calls from residents who want to know why their checks are so much smaller than last year’s.

Why The number of people requiring energy-bill assistance has grown at the same time that Congress and the White House have **cut funding by nearly $1 billion from last year**. The combination has quickly rippled to the states, and at least seven are either completely out of money or will be shortly.

With benefits pared, concern is mounting that many people will start to receive notices that their utilities will be shut off on April 1 unless they pay their bills. To help out, some states are dipping into funds that would normally be used to help with summer cooling bills.

Read (Christian Science Monitor)