President Clinton's Radio Address to the Nation: Keeping the Heat and                 Lights On During Unusually Cold Weather                            December 30, 2000 Today, President Clinton, in his radio address to the nation, will announce a series of steps to reduce the likelihood and severity of energy shortages to help Americans in what will likely be the coldest winter in several years.  Unparalleled economic growth and cold weather have led to significant increases in the demand for energy.  For instance, demand for electricity in California is up 13 percent from last year, largely in response to a growing economy.  Yet power generation capacity has not kept up to that pace, and electricity supplies have tightened while prices have risen in the western United States.  When combined with cold weather following three warmer than average winters in a row, the increased demand for energy to heat and power our homes and businesses has led to energy bills significantly larger than in recent winters.  The Clinton Administration has been taking steps since last winter to meet this challenge, and is taking further steps reduce the risk of supply shortages and to ease the burden of energy prices on families and small businesses. PRESIDENT CLINTON WILL RELEASE $300 MILLION IN LIHEAP EMERGENCY FUNDS IN RESPONSE TO HIGH HEATING FUEL PRICES: President Clinton will direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release $300 million in Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) emergency funds to all States to assist low-income households facing substantial increases in home heating fuel prices.  With this release of $300 million in LIHEAP emergency funds, the President will have directed HHS to release a total of $856 million in LIHEAP emergency funds since September to help States assist low-income households in coping with high fuel prices during this winter.  In addition to this release, HHS released $156 million on December 18 (super_script_: th) and $400 million on September 23(super_script_: rd).  The Department of Energy projects that heating oil prices this winter will be 29 percent higher than last winter, and natural gas prices will be 40 percent higher than last winter. PRESIDENT CLINTON WILL ALSO ANNOUNCE 4 STEPS TO HELP AMERICANS DURING THE WINTER: The measures that President Clinton has already taken were critical steps towards preparing for cold weather and energy shortages with their accompanying high prices this winter.  Following on their success, and in order to stay ahead of potential challenges, President Clinton is taking four additional steps to prepare for possible energy shortages during the cold months ahead.