But in cities and towns all around the country in Texas, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Illinois, and more utilities have resumed cutting off water when people cant afford to pay. Eligible government agencies in Washington State may use our free, one-on-one Ask MRSC service to get answers to legal, policy, or financial questions. And the amount of unpaid bills had increased 67% since 2019 to $1 billion in February. The California Public Utilities Commission also extended the power shutoff moratorium to Sept. 30, days before it was set to expire on June 30. San Diego Gas & Electric residential customer bills. The program protects specific categories of customers from having their gas or electric shut off between November 15 and March 15 of each year. Customers with higher income levels will be offered payment plans of at least one or two years. The Washington State Department of Commerce has assembledresources for utility customers behind on their payments, and the Washington Department of Healths Office of Drinking Water has a customer assistance program. Thank you for your website feedback! These programs are voluntary, and you can opt out at any time. It allowed utilities to resume shutoffs on Nov. 9 but the ban was lifted for only three weeks before the annual winter shut-off went into effect on Dec. 1. This blog is co-authored by Larry Levine (NRDC) and Olivia Wein (National Consumer Law Center). Can a power company turn off power? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The good news is that the recent federal COVID-19 relief packages including President Bidens American Rescue Plan enacted in March 2021 provide billions of dollars that can help low-income families struggling to pay their water and sewer bills. She also noted that the 9,500 customers represented the number of meters that would be shut off, and that more people whoresided in any of those households were also at risk of losing service. San Francisco, CA 94102, Utility Business Continuity Plans and PSPS Preparation, CPUC Mobilizes Community Based Organizations for Pilot Program To Help Consumers With Utility Debt, CPUC Executive Director Letter Concerning Extension of Moratorium on Disconnection for Non-Payment and Fees for Late Payment for Voice Service Through February 15, 2022, CPUC Acts To Ensure Essential Utility Services for Consumers at Risk of Disconnections, CPUC Actions to Protect Customers During the COVID-19 Pandemic; Utility Disconnection Moratoria and Arrearage Management - Presentation at CPUC Voting Meeting, CPUC Executive Director Letter Extending Moratorium on Disconnection for Non-Payment and Fees for Late Payment for Voice Service through September 30, 2021, CPUC Provides Relief for Customers Who Have Energy Bill Debt, https://liob.cpuc.ca.gov/m-4849-utility-transition-plans/, Executive Director Letter to IOUs on Direction to Conduct Customer Data Validation for Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Executive Director Letter Extending Moratorium on Disconnection for Non-Payment and Fees for Late Payment for Voice Service (Resolution M-4848) Through July 15, 2021, CPUC Extends Emergency Utility Customer Protections and Takes Further Action To Address Energy Arrearages During COVID-19, California Cable & Telecommunications Association, CPUC Implements Consumer Protections to Assist Residential and Small Business Customers, Workshop on COVID-19 Impacts on Customers in the Energy Sector, President Batjer Letter to AT&T regarding Legacy DSL Services Retirement, CPUC Letter to ISPs re: Affordable Broadband Plan Subscription Information, Remarks on COVID-19 Actions from Energy Division Deputy Executive Director, CPUC Letter to Program Administrators on Guidance on Energy Efficiency and Energy Savings Assistance Program Suspensions, CPUC Issues Proposal for Additional Customer Protections Due to Non-Payment, CPUC Letter to ISPs on Affordable Broadband Plans to Support Customers Affected by the COVID-19 State of Emergency. On this webpage you will find information on what the CPUC The financial effect of the pandemic has hit utility customers hard in California, a state that is home to one of the highest electricity rates in the country. In accordance with the approved plans, utilities are communicating with customers about imminent protection expiration, providing support to customers transitioning off of customer protections, and helping customers enroll in applicable assistance programs. A second possibility is that you are receiving supply from a competitive supplier that markets and sells to individual customers. CPUC response letter that delays an already scheduled natural gas rate increase for Southern California Gas Company and SDG&E small business customers for 120 days to help reduce natural gas bills during the crisis. Lt. Gov. Fields, meanwhile, has applied for pandemic aid through the state. Illinois' moratorium on utility shut-offs during the COVID-19 pandemic ends Wednesday, but there is still help available for anyone who needs assistance paying bills. Gov. Utilities will continue to provide assistance programs. If you qualify as income eligible, there are several programs, including: (1) Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federally-funded program that helps Massachusetts residents pay their heating bills; (2) the low-income discount rate program for investor-owned electric and gas utility customers; and (3) arrearage management programs (AMPs) for investor-owned electric and gas utility customers. As an alternative to the collection provisions in that section, RCW 36.94.150(3) allows the county to adopt the procedures in RCW 35.67.290 for collection. Any person who is making good faith efforts should never have their services shut off, he said. This chart from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)provides more detailed household income information. April 30, 2021: CPUC Approves Emergency Utility Customer Protection Transition Plans. Lake Washington Sewer & Water Dist., 784 P.2d 1284 (Wash. Ct. App. In California, the reported $1 billion in overdue residential bills includes about $600 million for customers of water utilities or combined water/sewer utilities, and about $400 million for customers who receive a combined bill for water and power from the same utility. State Disclosures, Senior Attorney and Director, Urban Water Infrastructure, People & Communities Program. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program payments were down 40% compared to the previous year, according to PUC data. Aug. 13, 2020, at 12:14 p.m. Bills to Stop Paying During Coronavirus. If you received a shut-off notice from your electric or gas utility, call your utility immediately and ask to enroll in a payment plan. 2023 Cox Media Group. Auth. Do we have to have a location open during this time to accept papers? We will use this information to improve this page. FERA is open to customers whose household incomes slightly exceed those eligible for CARE. For small business customers of an investor-owned utility, enrolling in a payment plan may protect your business from electric or gas shut off if you cannot afford your current balance. Municipal Elections Running for Office If you receive residential electric or gas service through a municipal utility, contact them directly to find out more about their shut-off policy and to hear about available payment assistance programs. Massachusetts consumers should also take steps to avoid an automatic renewal of their supply contract. A deadlocked Public Utility Commission earlier this month ensured utility companies could move forward with terminations starting April 1, potentially leaving low-income workers and students without a way to connect to their jobs or schools. Residential customers making payments under payment plans with their investor-owned electric or gas utility will remain protected from shut-off as long as they make payments under the payment schedule. South Carolina utilities will stop cutting service to customers with unpaid bills during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Steve has worked in municipal law and government for over 20 years as an Assistant City Attorney for Lynnwood, Seattle, Tacoma, and Auburn, and as the City Attorney for Port Townsend and Auburn. Take steps to reduce your overall energy usage this winter, which should in turn help you lower your utility bill. If you are a customer of a municipal utility, call your municipal utility immediately to ask about any assistance programs that may be available. Nowak has previously urged the commission to work with the Evers administration to provide assistance to water customers in need through CARES Act funding. Sign up now! Cities like Madison and progressive groups have urged the commission to extend its moratorium on utility disconnections, arguing people can't stay safe or thrive without service. Only eight states have statewide water shutoff moratoria in place today. This new law provides several important safeguards for residential utility customers by: prohibiting shutoffs during the COVID-19 state of emergency for non-payment of a utility bill;. A recent report by Duke University researchers found that, if utility disconnections had been barred nationwide from March through November 2020, COVID-19 infections rates could have been reduced by 8.7% and deaths by 14.8%. Share this webpage and the flyer below with your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to spread the word. Consumer advocates and those who manage programs to assist customers, such as the Dollar Energy Fund, are warning those facing shutoff notices to not wait until the last minute to get help. With one call or click you can get a personalized answer from one of our trusted attorneys, policy consultants, or finance experts! The good news: After we confirmed to Fields' provider that she would be getting pandemic aid to pay the bill, the utility agreed to restore her electricity. 2023 by Wisconsin Public Radio, a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Eligible government agencies can use our free one-on-one inquiry service. The AGO strongly urges any Massachusetts consumer who considers signing up with a competitive supplier to read the AGOs FAQs on electric supply options here. The order protects consumers who may not be able to pay for their water service from shutoffs. Since it has not been referenced in any subsequent proclamations, the guidance may not have any legal effect. Water and electrical services have a statutory lien under RCW 35.21.290, but enforcement of the lien is limited to shutting off the utility by RCW 35.21.300. The California legislature approved the California Arrearage Payment Program (CAPP) in the 2021-2022 State Budget. An increase in your homes energy efficiency should result in lower utility bills over time. We will be monitoring very closely the extent to which state and federal funding efforts address the debt that consumers face, Rechtschaffen said. Don't fall behind on your bills or you may find yourself in the dark.__________________________. PSC Chair Rebecca Cameron Valcq highlighted the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin. Using Electronic Signatures During Emergencies, Woodward says Spokane economic recovery continues, but problems loom. The policy should consider the variables for each type of receivable with specific criteria and internal controls in place to assure that the utilitys assets (receivables) are being safeguarded. If you are served by a municipal utility, it may or may not be shutting off customers for unpaid bills. John Bel Edwards is traveling to Asia for a weeklong series of meetings with business leaders and policymakers in the hopes of growing foreign investment, Stocks rallied on Wall Street, climbing to their biggest gain in six weeks, Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |. In these unsettling and unprecedented times, many people are Customers who need payment assistance should contact their utility as soon as possibleto ask about Deferred Payment Agreements (DPAs), and to learn what other assistance is available.