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. In addition to Texas Utility Help, the following programs exist to help people pay utilities Also: Help for Texans (TDHCA) Utilities in Wisconsin will once again be able to shut off services for customers who fail to pay their bills. The fact sheet provides a guide for advocates, utilities, and state and local officials who are seeking to help customers with past due and unaffordable water and sewer bills. BGE Customers With Disconnected Service Can Get Service Restored During COVID-19 Pandemic. 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. Links to the 2020 briefing decks presented to CPUC and CAL FIRE can be found on the utility websites below. Most states passed emergency laws banning evictions and utility shutoffs during the pandemic. If you need assistance, please Contact the Attorney General's Office at (617) 727-2200. Customers behind on their utility bills have three more months of assurance they will not get their power shut off for non-payment after the California Public Utilities Commission passed an extension on Thursday. If you are unsure whether the supplier on your bill is part of a community choice electric plan, call or check your city or towns website to find out. For many of us, the accelerating rollout of COVID-19 vaccines provides hope for a light at the end of the tunnel. February 27 2023, Integrating Best Available Science: New Tools for Land Use Planning & Emergency Management Earlier this year, the commission reported that statewide enrollment in CARE has increased 13.6 percent and FERA enrollment shot up 45 percent. San Diego International Airport received the $20 million grant as part of the governments Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 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. The order also applies to small-business customers who have bills at least 60 days past due. For policy examples, see our Ask MRSC Archives question: Is there a process for cities to write-off bad debt?. Lt. Gov. In these unsettling and unprecedented times, many people are And the amount of unpaid bills had increased 67% since 2019 to $1 billion in February. The Public Service Commission voted unanimously Thursday to end the moratorium. The Proclamation 20-23 series (the proclamations) only applied to energy, telecommunications, or water services. Even without the moratorium on shutoffs, most utility companies have been generous this year. Utility Late Fee/Shutoff Moratorium Expires September 30: Now What? You may want to consider adopting a policy that will authorize you to write-off uncollectible debt. The state Department of Human Services has worked with counties to make available the money in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program and the $270 million infusion to LIHEAP from the federal American Relief Plan. As past-due balances grow, the commission is asking gas, electric and water utilities to submit comprehensive plans for dealing with delinquent bills by Jan. 15. Southern California Edison Public Safety Power Shutoffs Webpage, San Diego Gas & Electric Public Safety Power Shutoffs Webpage, Bear Valley Electric Service Public Safety Power Shutoffs Webpage, Liberty Utilities Wildfire Mitigation Page, PacifiCorp California Public Safety Power Shutoffs Webpage, The Governors Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response website for small businesses. Fields, meanwhile, has applied for pandemic aid through the state. VIDEO: State regulators considering banning all electricity cutoffs for non-payment until next April. Customers who are interested in installing solar panels or enrolling with community solar programs should visit the AGs Office FAQ with consumer tips at mass.gov/ago/solar. Steve Gross joined MRSC as a Legal Consultant in January 2020. (Rob Nikolewski/The San Diego Union-Tribune), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, California Public Utilities Commission passed an extension, extended the moratorium earlier this year, one of the highest electricity rates in the country, California Alternate Rates for Energy, or CARE, and the Family Electric Rates Assistance, or FERA programs, Is your utility bill going to get even higher? 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. Can it be done by appointment? Nowak has previously urged the commission to work with the Evers administration to provide assistance to water customers in need through CARES Act funding. On this webpage you will find information on what the CPUC 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. May 7, 2020: The CPUC temporarily modified rates for high energy use customers to minimize the impacts of electricity bills in the summer related to the COVID-19 pandemic. and utilities under its jurisdiction are doing to support communities We will He also has been a legal policy advisor for the Pierce County Council and has worked in contract administration. "It's just very difficult that the PSC wouldn't allow us to use our same tools," said Bessette. 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. Other assistance programs for income-eligible customers are available year-round through investor-owned gas and electric utilities, including a low-income discount rate program, which helps make bills more manageable, and an arrearage management program (AMP), which helps customers who have an unpaid balance on their bill and are struggling to pay. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. FERA is open to customers whose household incomes slightly exceed those eligible for CARE. Global travelers on Tripadvisor platform rank Coronado No. If your household income is 60% or less of the state median income, you are eligible for LIHEAP. And commissioners said utility companies told them many customers had not set up plans for repayment during the moratorium. HEAP is a seasonal program. Under state law, water utilities can still collect past-due bills by putting those expenses onto the property tax roll. But if you are falling behind on utilities, get help as soon as possible so you are not shut off. Customers with higher income levels will be offered payment plans of at least one or two years. But many utility companies have said without the threat of a shut-off notice, their bills would go unpaid. Those moratoriums are running out, and thousands of unemployed people plus others still battling. State Regulators Bar All Utilities From Shutting Off Water, Power And Share this webpage and the flyer below with your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to spread the word. you should file a complaint with the Department of Public Utilities, current and historic basic service rates here, Frequently Asked Questions about Water Utilities During COVID-19, Contact the Attorney General's Office at (617) 727-2200. Water utilities were asked to submit any disconnection plans for review this month. If you are having trouble paying your electric, sewer, or water bills, you may be eligible to avoid disconnection through the Winter Termination Program. "I just want some time to get my money," she said. Editor's note: This blog has been updated to remove references tostate guidance related to the creation of COVID-19 customer support programs. If your bill lists a competitive supplier that you do not recognize, there are two possibilities. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not announced program rules or released funds to the states. Some page levels are currently hidden. Auth. Utility Late Fee/Shutoff Moratorium Expires September 30: Now What. 2023 by Wisconsin Public Radio, a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For FAQs on the end of the moratorium and the six-month grace period, click here. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. We want all Massachusetts residents to be aware of thenew and expanded programs available to assist them in paying their home heating bills. Follow John on Instagram @johnmataresemoney, For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com. *Note:This combined total for New York City and California is likely a conservative estimate. concerned about the health and safety of themselves and their loved If you are a customer of a municipal utility, call your municipal utility immediately to ask about any assistance programs that may be available. She can be reached at 717-480-1783 or on Twitter at @candynotcandace. We offered specific program design recommendations to deliver assistance to those with the greatest need; maximize public health benefits by using program funds to protect access to essential water service; ensure accountability for program spending by states and utilities; and generate data to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and determine how to improve upon it. To leave anyone, especially children who rely on utilities to attend virtual school, without electricity or heat is unconscionable when these companies have guaranteed income and millions in revenue.. In addition to your utility, you can contact the Department of Public Utilitiesat877-886-5066, or completetheir online complaint form. NJBPUtook several other actions to issue guidance to the utility companies during the State of Emergency and Public Health Emergency, including: Water and Sewer Arrearages Summary as of September , 2022 (PDF). The state regulator also approved a plan that requires utilities including San Diego Gas & Electric to automatically enroll customers who are lagging on monthly payments into a two-year debt relief program. For more information, please visit https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/. Last month, regulators voted 2 to 1 to extend a temporary moratorium on utility shutoffs during the COVID-19 crisis for residential customers until Nov. 1. 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. In other words, they do not prohibit your payment plans from including interest or late fees for missing a payment after the effective date of the payment plan. Call your electric or gas utility immediately to enroll. Illinois utilities shut off moratorium ends Wednesday; how to get help The bill also extends the time for cities and counties to impose a sewage lien: A sewage lien may exceed six months' delinquent charges without the necessity of any writing or recording if collection of charges was impacted by the declaration of an emergency by the governor. Moratoriums on disconnects expiring across the US. Thursdays 5-0 vote extends the moratorium through the end of September for both residential and small-business customers. That guidance was incorporated into Proclamation 20-23.6 to help utilities create their own programs. N.J. again extends ban on utilities shutting off power, gas, water to 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. . Can a power company turn off power? LIHEAP is available this winter heating season from November 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Remember that for city-owned utilities,RCW 35.67.210 and RCW 35.67.215 apply to sewage liens. March 1 2023, Changes for 2022 Annual Reporting for Cash Basis Entities With expanded income eligibility for some programs, more New Jerseyans are now eligible for utility assistance. Kathy Hochul announced the vast majority of $567 million dedicated to help low-income electric and gas utility customers pay off past utility bills will be reflected on customers' August bills. CAPP will be administered by the Department of Community Services and Development (CSD). PUC Chair Gladys Brown Dutrieuille said its time to return to the regular collections process.. The fact sheet describes what is currently known of the program and will be updated as HHS releases more information. Can't pay your power bill? Don't worry, you're safe for now as Final Transition Plan Advice Letters available on. 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%. 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. Customers can opt out of the plan if they want. You should also closely review your electric and gas utility bills to determine whether you are buying your electric or gas supply from your utility or from another entity, often called a competitive supplier. Income eligibility is evaluated based on your gross household income for the past 4 weeks. Earlier this month, the Legislature earmarked $1 billion in the upcoming 2022 state budget to help Californians pay overdue utility bills. With one call or click you can get a personalized answer from one of our trusted attorneys, policy consultants, or finance experts! Federal COVID-19 Relief for Water & Sewer Bills | NRDC In the first quarter of this year, more than 3.3 million residential customers of the states big four utilities have fallen behind on their bills: Applying SDG&Es figure to its overall residential customer total of about 1.326 million, that means 36.6 percent of SDG&E residential customers are in arrears. However, the California data do not include arrears for customers of wastewater-only utilities. HARRISBURGThe moratorium on utility shutoffs expires at the end of the month, leaving more than 1 million Pennsylvania households at risk of losing their electricity, gas, water and telephone service. But the majority of these orders are . States should heed the same recommendations as they set up their own programs to administer LIHWAP funds. New York Bans Utility Shutoffs during COVID-19 Emergency Also ask your electric or gas utility if you qualify for an arrearage forgiveness program or any other payment assistance program. The actions are in response to customers who are unable to pay their utility bills during the COVID-19 economic crisis. Henry McMaster urged the companies in a . New Jersey also has a COVID-19 Hotline staffed by trained healthcare professionals who are standing by to answer your questions, 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week: To receive email updates from NJBPU,sign up here. Hous. So even before there was a mandate to do so, we voluntarily suspended disconnections in early March, said Janet Kim, of PSE. The update also adds a link to the Washington State Department of Healths Customer Assistance Program. Candy Woodall is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capital Bureau. Using Electronic Signatures During Emergencies, Woodward says Spokane economic recovery continues, but problems loom. Keep updated on the latest news and information. If a customer account is eligible, a credit will be automatically applied to the customer bill. No, your landlord cannot shut off your utilities. MRSC has consolidated additional information in the Utility Collection Deferrals, Shutoffs, and Payment Plans section of our COVID-19 Small Business and Tenant Assistance Programs webpage.