Jeff Bingaman: “Many consumers who cannot pay their energy bills have been protected so far by the so-called cutoff laws. Those are laws…”

“Many consumers who cannot pay their energy bills have been protected so far by the so-called cutoff laws. Those are laws which prohibit utility companies from terminating service to customers during the winter. But these prohibitions against terminating utility service expire in March or in April, and when they do, the seriousness of the situation for low-income working Americans will become harshly obvious to all of us. According to a recent survey by the National Council of State Legislators, 18 States have extended income eligibility limits because so many people just above the current thresholds are struggling to pay their utility bills. Thirty-one States either have already increased or hope to increase benefit levels in an effort to keep net costs to those in need at the same level as in previous winters. Many States have expressed a serious need for additional funds to extend eligibility and benefit levels. The reality is that many States have already depleted their LIHEAP and weatherization funding, the funding that we appropriated for these programs in the last year. Without additional funds, assistance to low-income working families for the summer cooling season is going to be impossible. People tend to forget the severe toll the summer heat takes on many people in this country, particularly on our senior citizens. Just last year, the State of Texas was forced to impose a moratorium on utilities cutting off service during the summer.”