Hearing set for Tuesday on proposal to extend utility shut-off moratorium until April
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will consider a proposal Tuesday to ban utility late fees and disconnections into next year.
The public can join the virtual meeting at 1 p.m. Oct. 6 by calling 360-407-3810 and using code 648699. Those who want to join via Skype can do so through utc.wa.gov. Those who want to address the commission must call 360-664-1234 by 5 p.m. Monday to sign up.
State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the Sierra Club, the NW Energy Coalition, The Energy Project, Front and Centered and Puget Sound Sage made the proposal.
Among other things, It would extend a moratorium on disconnections through at least April 2021. The moratorium would lift when conditions, such programs to help low-income customers, are in place.
The moratorium in place now expires Oct. 15. That is the same day the state’s eviction moratorium is slated to end.
“Washingtonians are hurting,” Ferguson said in a press release. “This is not the time to put individuals at risk of losing critical services they need, like heat and electricity.”
