This article provides an update on the state of residential utility arrears in New Jersey, where nearly 600,000 customers owe more than $570 million in back payments. Johnson explains that low income workers/households were hit by pandemic costs and losses particularly hard, but that middle class households that lost income have also fallen behind.
The state moratorium on utility shutoffs is set to expire June 30th, with no indication that it will be extended. Utilities, the article suggests, may be expanding assistance programs in response. Utility industry representatives hope that federal money received by the state of New Jersey will be used to cover the debt.
Tom Johnson, "Hundreds of thousands of utility customers facing shut-offs", contributed by Alison Kenner, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 31 May 2021, accessed 21 December 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/hundreds-thousands-utility-customers-facing-shut-offs
Critical Commentary
This article provides an update on the state of residential utility arrears in New Jersey, where nearly 600,000 customers owe more than $570 million in back payments. Johnson explains that low income workers/households were hit by pandemic costs and losses particularly hard, but that middle class households that lost income have also fallen behind.
The state moratorium on utility shutoffs is set to expire June 30th, with no indication that it will be extended. Utilities, the article suggests, may be expanding assistance programs in response. Utility industry representatives hope that federal money received by the state of New Jersey will be used to cover the debt.