It also notes where federal agencies have not yet provided critical details, such as how the program funds will be allocated and how programs will be structured. Aug. 13, 2020, at 12:14 p.m. Bills to Stop Paying During Coronavirus. March 1 2023, Changes for 2022 Annual Reporting for Cash Basis Entities
CAPP dedicates $1 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to address Californian's energy debts. Individual competitive suppliers (in other words, suppliers that are not part of a community choice program) often charge higher rates than your utilitys rates. Wolf told commissioners he knew the moratorium couldnt continue indefinitely, but he urged them to continue the protections that are in place for low-income Pennsylvanians. "I didn't have the $300 they needed," she said. Ellen Nowak opposed the decision to prevent all water shutoffs during the winter months. Between November 15th and March 15th, residential customers are protected from utility shut off if the utility service is needed to heat your home and you receive service from an investor-owned utility, such as Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, Liberty Utilities, or Berkshire Gas. The Governor's Executive Order establishes a six-month grace period in which no residential customer will face disconnection of their gas, electric, or water services before the end of the grace period on December 31, 2021. When the state reopened in mid-June, Newsom quietly extended the moratorium on water shutoffs to Sept. 30. In these unsettling and unprecedented times, many people are Nearly one-third of residential customers among the state's five largest utilities had past-due bills as of August, according to data provided to the commission. Massachusetts consumers should also take steps to avoid an automatic renewal of their supply contract. Find information on what the CPUC and utilities under its jurisdiction are doing to support communities during these challenging times. As a quick refresher, take a look at MRSCs Collection Practices for Delinquent Utility Accountswebpage, our Utility Liens and Shutoffs Tool, and our February 22, 2021 blog:A Quick Guide to Utility Account Overcharges, Undercharges, and the Statute of Limitations. Information on testing, vaccines, and help finding appointments near you. Please limit your input to 500 characters. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, https://www.dhs.pa.gov/coronavirus/Pages/Emergency-Rental-Assistance-Program.aspx, Fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians can gather without masks, but only in these situations, COVID-19 vaccine motivation: Krispy Kreme is giving away free doughnuts for showing vaccination card, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. For more information about which programs you may be eligible for, use DCA's screening tool. Details wont be finalized until the governor approves the budget and the commission will take the $1 billion payments into consideration in a later proceeding. Utility Late Fee/Shutoff Moratorium Expires September 30: Now What. If you do not qualify for a low-income program, contact your electric or gas utility to learn about deferred payment arrangements. The utility reported to the commission that 495 out of its roughly 3,000 customers would be eligible for disconnection. Valcq pointed out that similar assistance programs do not exist for water customers. https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562021/approved/20211222a.shtml, https://www.nj.gov/bpu/newsroom/reports/covid19/Moratorium_Ending_FAQs_061421.pdf. Please let us know how we can improve this page. She's argued for more targeted solutions to provide assistance to customers in need, highlighting that utilities are required to work out a down payment plan with customers during the pandemic. 2023 by Wisconsin Public Radio, a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. And commissioners said utility companies told them many customers had not set up plans for repayment during the moratorium. The proclamations said that customers "shall not be charged" late fees for energy, telecommunications, or water services between March 23, 2020, and September 30, 2021. Shutoffs were allowed to resume Nov. 9 for some nonpaying customers, but existing commissionguidelines protected customers with income less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. More than 1 million customers were eligible for termination when Wolf sent the letter a month ago. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program that helps low-income homeowners and renters pay for utility and heating bills. It may also violate the prohibition againstdiscriminating among similarly situated ratepayers [Hous. Utilities also offer another way to stay on top of your bills called budget billing. . SBA COVID-19 Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources, California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), News and Outreach Office coronavirus State regulators on Tuesday extended protections against utility cutoffs for people who cant pay through April 30, 2021. CARE is available to customers whose total household income is at or below specific income limits, such as $52,4000 for a family of four. With one call or click you can get a personalized answer from one of our trusted attorneys, policy consultants, or finance experts! If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. Electric and gas utility contact information is provided below: You can considercontacting Mass Savefor an energy efficiency audit. Are we in violation of a law if we do not have a location that is open to the public to serve? KIRO 7 News Seattle facebook feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle twitter feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle youtube feed(Opens a new window), Powerball jackpot winner identified as longtime Boeing employee, Multiple western Washington residents indicted in connection to coast-to-coast drug ring, Seattle firefighters battle massive Lake City building fire for hours, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies after brain aneurysm at 61, Thieves lose ATM ripped out of Lakewood credit union. Some page levels are currently hidden. Please visit the CSD website for more information. Governor Inslee issuedProclamation 20-23.16 on July 2, 2021, which extended the utility shutoff moratorium through September 30, 2021. PG&E is submitting separate biweekly corrective action progress reports that can be found on the docket card of the CPUCs Public Safety Power Shutoffrulemaking. Last month, Ayanna McClure learned how quickly landlords were filing eviction notices when the moratoriums expired. The CPUCs oversight consists of ensuring that the utilities are clear about the rules they must adhere to, monitoring the utilities preparation, and evaluating their implementation. Applications for LIHEAP for the 2022-2023 heating season can be submitted now and throughout the winter heating season. According to research at Indiana University that looked at a nationally representative sample of households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, 20% of Black households and 28% of Hispanic households reported being unable to pay an energy bill between June and August 2020, compared to just 12% of white households. The AGO encourages you to contact your electric or gas utility if the recent COVID-19 crisis has significantly impacted your household income because you may be newly eligible for other assistance programs. Visithereor the Cold Relief Heatline at (800) 632-8175 to find your local community action agency where you can apply for LIHEAP. Other CPUC Actions
With expanded income eligibility for some programs, more New Jerseyans are now eligible for utility assistance. We know the effects of COVID are still very much front and center for many consumers, Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen said. Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves said the regulator is trying to be responsive to this really dynamic situation that were in, in recovering from this pandemic.. However, if a customer misses more than two payments in their COVID-19 relief plan, they can be kicked out of the plan. March 27, 2020: Joint Letters to IOUs re: Essential Wildfire and PSPS Mitigation Work, March 20, 2020: Business Continuity and COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) Response Plans. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. In the past year, the CPUC and the states utilities stepped up efforts to get eligible customers to sign up for the California Alternate Rates for Energy, or CARE, and the Family Electric Rates Assistance, or FERA programs. The AGO issued a 2018reportand2019 update,and2021 updatethat found that Massachusetts customers typically lost money on competitive electric supply. She can be reached at 717-480-1783 or on Twitter at @candynotcandace. PSC Chair Rebecca Cameron Valcq highlighted the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy OLYMPIA, WA - With a bipartisan 64-31 vote, the Washington State House passed a bill to ensure a utility operator cannot shut off power or water when the National Weather Service issues a heat-related warning or alert. A map from the National Association of Utility Regulators (NARUC) shows there are now 38 states where the moratorium on shutoffs has expired or is voluntary for utility companies. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. In its decision, the commission said the combination of the moratorium extension and the two-year amortization plans will relieve customers of the threat of disconnection and put them on a path toward solvency.. Those figures were roughly the same in April 2018. The utility shutoff grace period ended on March 15, 2022 for all water, electric, and sewer customers. Any utilities who may disconnect service once the winter moratorium ends would also have to submit those plans to regulators by Feb. 15. 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. and utilities under its jurisdiction are doing to support communities The risk of disconnection disproportionately harms communities of color. If your household income is between 60 to 80% of the state median income, you may be able to receive help from theGood Neighbor Energy Fund. If you are struggling to pay your electric or gas utility bills, reach out to your utility to discuss available payment plans, arrearage forgiveness programs and other payment assistance programs. Energy utilities will apply for CAPP assistance on behalf of customers who incurred a past due balance of 60 days or more on their energy bill during the COVID-19 pandemic relief period covering March 4, 2020 through June 15, 2021. The decision means that utilities will not be able to shut off water, power or heat during the winter months. The Utilities and Transportation Commission also. update email soon. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Changes for 2022 Annual Reporting for Cash Basis Entities, Integrating Best Available Science: New Tools for Land Use Planning & Emergency Management, resources for utility customers behind on their payments, Collection Practices for Delinquent Utility Accounts, A Quick Guide to Utility Account Overcharges, Undercharges, and the Statute of Limitations.