The Guardian’s Valerie Yurk reports:
Forty states lack mandates to fully protect citizens from electricity, gas and water disconnections as leniency measures for paying bills expire, making Americans affected by the economic downturn vulnerable to one of the hottest summers on record and the continued spread of the coronavirus, according to a report from Senate Democrats.
Valerie Yurk
(@valerie_yurk)Breaking: Most states aren’t protecting Americans from utility shut offs, according to Senate dems report, meaning:
– No clean water to wash your hands during a pandemic
– No AC in one of the hottest summers on record
– No word on when utilities are turning back on
Among the states offering no protection for its residents are Texas and other southern states that have seen a rise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. Most states only partially protect citizens from utility shut offs – meaning utility companies have voluntarily agreed to suspend disconnections but are not mandated to do so.
Some state utility shutoff moratoriums don’t apply to publicly-owned utilities, which, in Ohio, accounts for 70% of residential water sources, according to the report.
Greer Ryan, energy policy analyst for the Center for Biological Diversity, said this particularly impacts communities of color, who were not only more vulnerable to utility insecurity before the pandemic, but also are more likely to get Covid-19 and suffer from the effects of rising temperatures.
“Most people who have their utilities disconnected don’t know when they’re coming back on,” Ryan said. “Add that to the stress of the economic crisis, this is extra horrifying for families.”
Senator Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is urging Congress to consider offering financial assistance to those struggling with utility bills due to unemployment or illness while also requiring utilities stay connected during the COVID-19 crisis. More than 830 organizations, 113 members of Congress and hundreds of thousands of people have joined Carper’s call.
“I would ask my colleagues to imagine what it’s like to manage a fever without access to air conditioning on a 100-degree day. I would ask my colleagues to imagine what it’s like to go without running water at a time when we’re being encouraged to wash our hands with soap and clean water to slow the spread of this deadly virulent disease,” Carper said. “This is not just about ensuring a fair and basic quality of life in our country, this is also a public health imperative.”
