Cold Waves And Poor Economy Risks Having People Freezing In The Dark

Utility shutoffs are increasing across the United States
as cold winter weather settles in. Skyrocketing
costs are to blame. 

people In many areas from the Northern Plains to New England, it's been cold lately. 

Also, despite Donald Trump's boasting and bloviating,  the economy isn't great. Inflation still lurks. There's job losses. Cutbacks in federal aid.  For some, that means deciding whether to eat or have electricity.  

Per the Washington Post:

"Soaring electricity prices are triggering a wave of power shutoffs nationwide, leaving more Americans in the dark as unpaid bills pile up. Although there is no national count of electricity shutoffs, data from select utilities in 11 states show that disconnections have risen in at least eight of them since last year, according to figures compiled by the Washington Post and the National Assistance Directors Association. In some areas, such as New York City, the surge has been dramatic -with residential shutoffs in August up fivefold from a year ago, utility filings show." 

CBS News estimates nearly one in 20 U.S. households are behind on utility bills. 

This comes as bitter cold temperatures have made an early and intense appearance in many parts of the nation. That's especially true in New England and around the Great Lakes, where temperatures so far this month have been running around 10 degrees colder than normal. 

Will these electricity shutoffs literally put people at risk of freezing to death in their own homes? It depends on where they live. Per CBS News;

"Most states have some sort of safeguard against utility shutoffs when the temperatures dips below a certain level, but not all. States without cold weather protection include Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, according to the Energy Justice Lab, a joint project of Indiana University and the University of Pennsylvania."

Wait, what? Alaska and North Dakota, probably the nation's two coldest states, have no winter protection for those having trouble paying electric bills?

I notice some pushback in some of those states in which utilities can be shut off in the winter for nonpayment. Earlier this month, an advocacy group called The Leave The Heat On Collective demonstrated in Kentucky's Capitol and asked Gov. Any Beshear to put a utility disconnection moratorium  in place.  

Overall, inflation in electric bills have varied, but on average Americans are paying about 11 percent more than they were at the beginning of the year. This, on top of wildly overpriced housing costs are taking a toll.

WaPo again: 

"Nearly 1 in 20 households, or about 14 million Americans, were so behind on utility debt that it was reported to collections agencies or in arrears as of June, according to an analysis by the Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers, a nonprofit that advocates for consumers. Meanwhile, the average overdue balance of $789 has risen 32 percent since 2022," 

 One good thing is that so far, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, is still assisting people. Trump hasn't gotten rid of it quite yet, but I'm sure that day will come. Distribution for the funds was disrupted or delayed because of the now-ended government shutdown.

The $3.6 billion in aid was released November 28 instead of the usual schedule of early November because the shutdown didn't end until November 12.