utilities

Pa. to Lift Last Coronavirus-Induced Moratorium on Utility Shutoffs

As a year from the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic comes to a close, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is deciding to lift the moratorium on disconnection it had put in place to protect the Commonwealth's residents. This decision comes from pressures exerted by the utilities on...Read more

State Legislature to investigate ConEd, utility companies’ response to Tropical Storm Isaias

Cuomo has taken the aftermath of the storm very seriously and wants to get at the heart of the poor response from ConEd and other energy providers. ConEd is specifically highlighted, but the article underscores the difference preparedness would have made for the storm's response. Additionally,...Read more

Caught in a patchwork of policies and pledges, some utility customers may still be awaiting electricity restoration or racking up fees

This article reports on the state of disconnections across the United States in March 2020. One of the major points of the article is that, although many states have suspended utility shut-offs during the pandemic (sometimes for an unspecified length of time) there is little data on whether...Read more

New report finds Texas utility-scale solar growth may push remaining coal plants into retirement

This article talks about the vulnerability of coal plants across the country. An energy generation market powered by Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is set to be at risk by 2022, coal fleet is now going to be down by October. The viable option seen by many in the south is to...Read more

New York And Connecticut Call For Probes Into Utility Companies' Response To Isaias

This article is another article that talks about governors investigating utilities' poor responses. That said, this article also mentions Connecticut and New York declaring states of emergency in order to speed up assistance to communities most hardly hit by the storm. That said, we should also...Read more

Utah Community Renewable Energy Act

The attached document is a bill passed through Utah's state Senate that outlines their mission towards 100% renewable energy by 2030 through the use of Community Renewable Energy initiatives. There's no similar legislature throughout the U.S. (at least, that I can find) that legally...Read more

Peco plans hourly rates to encourage customers to shift energy use to off-peak periods

PA regulators have approved PECO’s plan to implement time-of-use rates for its customers, including both residential and commercial consumers. The hope is that some will shift electricity use to off-peak hours, during which rates of use will be discounted. The system has three price tiers...Read more

As End of Utility Shutoff Moratorium Nears, SNAP Fears Rush of Requests for Assistance

SNAP directors are urging those in crisis to apply right away whilst asking those who can cope to wait a little longer before applying. The question here is: is it ethical to ask anyone who needs help (regardless of critical or non-critical status) to wait to apply? Shouldn't it be the...Read more

In Maine, pandemic hasn’t stopped push for a publicly owned electric grid

Maine calls for a publicly-owned utility, Maine Power Delivery Authority, given the unreliable service and high rates from other local utilities. However, there is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the consumer-owned utility. The proposed amendment also institutes a task force to consider...Read more

Philadelphia Liens and Debt: What You Need to Know Before Acquiring Privately Owned Vacant Lots

This piece from the organization Grounded in Philly provides resources and information for those seeking to gain ownership of a vacant lot that is privately owned and how to deal with unpaid debt left behind by the absent owner. After explaining what liens are, the page moves on to explore the...Read more

Peco parent Exelon plans to separate into two firms: ‘Our customers expect us to continuously innovate’

This article describes Exelon's new plan to split its power generation operations from it's six utility companies; PECO is one of the six utilities. The utilities themselves are responsible for managing "the wires and networks to deliver power generated by competitive companies." The...Read more

Utility customers owe up to $40B in COVID-19 debt, but who will pay it?

This article discusses the effects of the utility shutoff moratorium as a policy (an emergency policy) that had no vision for long term pay back. I did not count the number of times the phrase "keeing the lights on" was repeated, but I should have. The article also describes how different...Read more

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