I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
The state has won $385,000 in federal money to help rural, low-income New Mexico families using propane and wood burning stoves to meet their home heating needs, the state Human Services Department announced Wednesday.
Families eligible for receiving the grant money are those with children, individuals with disabilities or chronic illness and the elderly, an agency news release said.
“Families that use propane spend more money heating their homes than those using natural gas or electricity and families using either propane or fire wood are often not able to afford crucial safety inspections or repairs to keep their homes and themselves safe from fire and asphyxiation hazards,” Katie Falls, Human Services Department Secretary, was quoted as saying in the department news release.
The state was one of three states to win the Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Program (REACH) grant from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Administration for Children and Families, according to the agency.
“The REACH grant has the potential to help many of the 15,000 people who received assistance through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for propane and wood burning stoves this past year,” Falls said in the news release.
The federal money will help assist eligible New Mexicans with purchasing fuel and increasing the energy efficiency of their homes, according to the state agency’s news release. That would include:
Funds for the purchase of bulk fuel, Assistance with partial or complete cost of installation/safety inspections, Assistance with partial or complete cost of repairs to home heating system, Home energy audit, and Assistance with partial cost of improving the energy efficiency of a home (could include sealing, insulation, or installation of programmable thermostat).
“The activities are designed to prevent energy crises for families, encourage responsible energy efficiency behavior, and encourage household payment,” Falls was quoted as saying in the release. “Eligible households will receive immediate assistance with fuel costs, but will also receive assistance with increasing the energy efficiency of their home by being provided both information and financial assistance with improving energy efficiency.”
According to the news release, the state’s human services agency will work with HELP-NM Inc., a non-profit Community Action Agency, to “complete a needs assessment, determine eligibility of participants, determine services to be provided, provide outreach services, educate participants, provide payments to or on behalf of eligible participants and conduct follow-up with participants.”
