New York Is Urged to Pay Public’s Ballooning Utility Debt
March 14, 2022 | New York
At least 1.4 million households and other residential customers in New York are behind on electric and natural gas bills—a number that soared during the pandemic—and consumer advocates are calling on the state to pay off their ballooning debt with federal funding.
In the spring of 2020, New York passed the nation’s only utility shut-off moratorium protecting heating, power water, cable, and telephone customers. That moratorium expired Dec. 21, though existing state regulations restrict utilities from shutting off heat and electricity until April 15.
New Yorkers could see shut-offs in coming months.
Electricity and gas customers in New York owed nearly $1.8 billion as of January 2022, according to data reported by utilities to the State Public Service Commission. That’s more than double their debt to utilities before the pandemic.
Caroline Ourso, 30, a Brooklyn freelance photographer who lost work in the pandemic, said the state’s rental assistance program approved her application for over $1,400 in electricity and gas bills last year… (Excerpt from the Epoch Times)
