Tell Governor Murphy: Stop Utility Shut Offs and Suspend Utility Rate Increases!
Make your voice heard! Tell Governor Murphy to stop utility shut offs until new assistance programs are up and running and to suspend utility rate increases as families and businesses recover from the pandemic.
The ability to maintain affordable and reliable utility services, including electricity, natural gas, water, sewer, telecommunications, and high-speed internet is critical to our health and safety and staying engaged with work, education, and loved ones while preventing spread of the COVID-19 virus. This is especially important for older New Jerseyans who are most vulnerable to the virus and those who are already struggling to make ends meet.
The current moratorium on electric, gas and water shut-offs needs to be extended beyond June 30, 2021. Consumers hit hard by the health and financial crises of the COVID-19 pandemic are already starting to receive shut-off notices. More than 1 million NJ residents have lost jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and hundreds of thousands of utility customers are at risk of having their utilities shut off. Despite this current crisis, the utility industry wants to raise rates by billions of dollars.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is working to expand utility bill payment assistance programs for those crushed by the pandemic. However, they will not be up and running until Fall 2021 at the earliest. Customers’ utilities should not be shut off until these programs are available and program costs should not be borne solely by ratepayers. AARP is urging the Governor to use federal pandemic relief funds to help utility customers.
Tell Governor Murphy: Stop Utility Shut Offs and Suspend Utility Rate Increases!
