WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins asked President Bush on Wednesday to provide an additional $200 million in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance, or LIHEAP, program.

In a letter to the president, Snowe and Collins requested the White House make contingency funds available to meet the increased energy demands of states affected by the recent abnormally cold weather.

“The frigid weather that has gripped much of the United States over the past month has resulted in a shortfall of funds for many states and many families who depend on LIHEAP assistance to heat their homes during the winter,” the senators said in a joint statement.