In a letter published August 10, PUC Chairwoman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille wrote that Pennsylvania is not in the same place now that it was in mid-March and that extending the universal moratorium is fiscally unsustainable, and eventually will impact service quality for everyone. The letter calls for public comment ahead of the next PUC meeting on August 27th, when Dutrieuille hopes the matter will be settled.
Like eviction moratoriums, lifting the utility shut-off moratorium in the midst of a pandemic is unconscionable.
According to the most recent reports available from Pennsylvania utility companies, by the end of May, 790,000 residential accounts were in arrears — including 211,000 classified as low-income families. That’s an overall increase of nearly 10% from last year, despite the mild-winter that caused an 8% reduction in the number of accounts behind on gas payments.
Having access to a stable, comfortable, and safe home is arguably more important now than ever. Instead of pressuring the PUC to lift the moratorium, the utilities and associated trade groups should pressure the state legislature and federal government to dramatically expand assistance to households so that debts are paid.
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August 14, 2020 at 04:06PM
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Extending statewide moratorium on utility shut-offs is the right call amid pandemic and recession | Editorial - The Philadelphia Inquirer
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