Steelers Hall Of Fame Running Back Franco Harris And Gas Utilities Kick Off 2009 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Heinz Field, home of the 2008 Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers, hosted another group of champions today during the annual kickoff of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame and four-time Super Bowl champion running back Franco Harris teamed with three of western Pennsylvania's natural gas distribution companies, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Dominion Peoples, and Equitable Gas, to champion the use of the LIHEAP program by Pennsylvania natural gas consumers.

Over the last several years, Mr. Harris, the three natural gas companies, and hundreds of social service agencies across the region have come together annually to form Franco's LIHEAP Army to educate natural gas customers on the LIHEAP program and encourage them to apply for grants.

LIHEAP is a federally funded program that provides a one-time cash grant applied directly to the customer's home heating bill. The program officially starts today, November 2, 2009, and consumers may apply through their natural gas utility, through a social service agency, at their county assistance office, or online.

"Help paying your monthly natural gas bills this winter is once again available through LIHEAP," said Harris. "The local social service agencies who are teammates of mine in the LIHEAP Army see more requests for help each day from our friends and neighbors in need due to the economic downturn. It is important that those who find themselves in tough times apply to see if they are eligible for a LIHEAP grant."

For the 2009-2010 winter heating season, it is estimated that more than $274 million will be Pennsylvania's allocation through the federal LIHEAP block grant provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Although LIHEAP is administered through Pennsylvania's Department of Public Welfare, it is not a public assistance program. Customers can access an application through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Access to Social Service Web site (COMPASS) at www.compass.state.pa.us.

Customers who received LIHEAP grants last year were sent a new application via U.S. Mail. Customers can also contact their natural gas company for details about LIHEAP and other assistance programs by calling one of the following numbers:

    Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania         1-800-272-2714
    Dominion Peoples                     1-800-400-9276
    Equitable Gas                        1-800-644-8090

To apply, the utility customer must present the following:

1. Names of people in the household
2. Dates of birth for people in the household
3. Social Security numbers for all household members
4. Proof of income for all members of the household
5. A copy of a recent heating bill.
   

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, with headquarters in Canonsburg, PA, is one of nine energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). Columbia Gas serves approximately 413,000 customers in 26 counties. More information about Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania is available at www.ColumbiaGasPA.com.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of more than 27,500 megawatts of generation. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage systems and serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

Equitable Gas Company is a provider of safe and dependable natural gas service to more than 270,000 customers located mainly in the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Its customer base also includes nine other counties in western Pennsylvania, 14 counties in West Virginia, and nine counties in Kentucky. Additional information about Equitable Gas can be obtained through its Web site at www.equitablegas.com.