PITTSBURGH, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer and home heating assistance champion Franco Harris joined the region's three largest natural gas utilities today to launch "Franco's LIHEAP Army" at a pep rally at Heinz Field.

Representatives from Columbia, Dominion Peoples and Equitable joined Harris at the first pep rally for Franco's LIHEAP Army. The grassroots effort is designed to mobilize, energize and challenge nearly 2,000 social service agencies across the state to increase LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) applications.

More than 200 social service employees attended the event and hundreds of others are participating in Franco's LIHEAP Army Challenge. The Challenge consists of a checklist that builds on previous social service efforts and creates new activities and programs to increase LIHEAP registrations. Once an agency completes the checklist, they will be enrolled in a drawing with the winner attending a private dinner and awards ceremony with Franco Harris.

"Today is a celebration of your past achievements and a challenge for the future to help even more Pennsylvanians in need of heating assistance," said Harris to the crowd of hundreds of social service workers. "My last army warmed the hearts of football fans across the country, but with your help, Franco's LIHEAP Army will warm the homes of those in need this heating season." Nov. 1 was declared Franco's LIHEAP Army Day in the City of Pittsburgh in recognition of the initiative.

More than $115 million in LIHEAP funds have been allocated to assist Pennsylvania low-income households this heating season. Despite the fact that natural gas rates have dropped by nearly 30% for southwestern Pennsylvanians, there still are households in need of assistance in paying their household bills.

LIHEAP is a federally funded program that provides a one-time cash grant applied directly to the customer's home-heating bill. It officially starts Monday, Nov. 6. Although LIHEAP is administered through the Department of Public Welfare (DPW), it is not a public assistance program.

"On behalf of the City of Pittsburgh, I commend and applaud Franco Harris, the area's natural gas utilities, and the thousands of social service employees that help our residents stay warm," said Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. "I encourage all social service agencies to take part in Franco's LIHEAP Army."

During the ceremony, the Mayor's office presented two proclamations: One to Harris and one to the area's social service agencies and natural gas companies that work around the clock in the cold months to help residents in need.

"With the leadership of Franco Harris, Columbia, Dominion and Equitable have set a new standard for home heating assistance," said Heather Sieber of the American Gas Association who also spoke at the Pep Rally. "On behalf of the AGA we applaud them for their efforts to increase local applications."

Applicants can apply at county assistance offices, through their natural gas utility and through community service agencies. Online enrollment is one more option that customers may use to apply for LIHEAP. Customers can access the site through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Service Web site (COMPASS) at www.compass.state.pa.us. Utilities expect the option to increase access and availability.

Individuals also can contact their county assistance office for a LIHEAP application. Customers who received LIHEAP grants last year were sent a new application via U.S. Mail. Customers can contact their 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-WARM (9276)

Equitable Gas: 1-800-644-8090

The LIHEAP income eligibility limit is 150 percent of federal poverty guidelines. This means a single individual earning less than $14,355 or a family of four with an annual income not exceeding of $29,025 would be eligible. To apply, the utility customer must present the following:

- Names of people in the household

- Dates of birth for people in the household

- Social Security Numbers for all household members

- Proof of income for all members of the household

- A copy of a recent heating bill

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, with local headquarters in Canonsburg, Pa., serves more than 410,000 customers in 27 counties. It is one of 10 energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). NiSource distribution companies serve 3.7 million natural gas and electric customers primarily in nine states. More information about Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania is available on the World Wide Web at www.columbiagas.com.

Dominion Peoples is a division of Dominion, one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with an energy portfolio of about 28,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion also serves retail energy customers in 11 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

A division of Equitable Resources, Equitable Gas Company provides natural gas distribution services to more than 270,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. An integrated energy company, Equitable Resources is the largest natural gas producer in the Appalachian area. It produces, supplies, transports, and distributes natural gas through primary operations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia. For additional information about Equitable, visit www.eqt.com.

SOURCE Equitable Resources