Maine Revenue Services has begun mailing the first wave of $450 winter energy relief checks to an estimated 880,000 eligible Maine residents as part of LD 3, which the Legislature enacted with bipartisan support in January.

This critical legislation is providing immediate support for many Lewiston residents who are struggling to heat their homes due to high energy costs during these coldest months of the year.

Many members of our community have to make a hard choice between choosing to pay for necessities like heat, electricity, groceries, housing, child care or other essential needs. Providing relief in the form of direct checks is the quickest way to provide support for those families who need it.

And by allowing families to have the flexibility to spend the checks as they see fit, Mainers will be able to prioritize how best to address their most pressing needs.

Spring will be here before we know it and warmer days are ahead, but the financial strain on families this winter from high heating costs can have an impact that lasts throughout the rest of the year. While these relief checks will not ultimately solve our ongoing energy challenges, they will offer a little reprieve while my colleagues and I in Augusta work on long-term solutions.

Rep. Michel Lajoie, Lewiston