A number of advocacy groups are urging Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to halt utility disconnections in the state during the federal government shutdown.
Kentuckians for Energy Democracy is organizing the call to action and lists more than 40 organizations as supporting a utility disconnection moratorium including the ACLU of Kentucky, Kentucky Voices for Health, the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, the Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other local and statewide organizations.
Cara Cooper, the coordinator for Kentuckians for Energy Democracy, told the Lantern that Beshear could issue an executive order similar to one he issued during the beginning months of the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented utilities from disconnecting service for nonpayment.
Cooper said low-income Kentuckians could especially be squeezed by having only partial federal food assistance this month through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
She said the groups are asking that any utility disconnection moratorium be extended through the end of the shutdown and until Kentuckians have access to more federal funds to help with energy costs and utility bills through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP.
“We’re worried that there’s going to be even greater need this year, and there’s never enough LIHEAP money to go around,” Cooper said. “We want to help to protect Kentuckians and make sure that nobody’s having to choose between groceries, medicine or paying their utility bill this winter.”
Energy assistance funding in flux
About six million people across the country use LIHEAP funding to help pay heating or cooling bills, buy heating fuel, prevent emergency situations such as utility disconnections and help weatherize homes to be more energy efficient. In Kentucky, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services receives LIHEAP funding, and community action agencies throughout the state distribute it.
The government shutdown has prevented the annual allocation of federal funding to states, causing some state governments to delay distributing LIHEAP funds. But that hasn’t been the case yet in Kentucky.
“Kentucky’s LIHEAP operates from the previous year’s federal allocation and has not been affected thus far by the federal government shutdown,” said Kendra Steele, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Rick Baker, the executive director of the nonprofit Community Action Kentucky, told state lawmakers in July that LIHEAP funds can sometimes run out but that money from previous federal laws, such as the CARES Act, has kept funding sufficient.
Baker told lawmakers more than $43 million in LIHEAP funding had been distributed through the current fiscal year. About $24 million of that went to 68,059 households in Kentucky for “crisis benefits” to prevent utility disconnections, with recipients receiving an average of $345.07 each. Community action agencies are accepting applications through December for a one-time, non-emergency LIHEAP payment to go toward heating costs on a first-come, first serve basis.
The National Energy Assistance Directors Association, representing directors of state LIHEAP programs, called on utilities last month to suspend utility nonpayment disconnections during the government shutdown, especially as the need for LIHEAP and electricity costs rise.
When asked about the possibility of a utility disconnection moratorium during a Wednesday press conference, Beshear said he was “always willing to consider things that could help the people of Kentucky” particularly federal workers going without a paycheck.
Liz Pratt, a spokesperson for Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities, the state’s largest utility in terms of electricity customers served, was asked in an email whether the utility supports a disconnection moratorium during the government shutdown. She did not directly answer the question, but said in a statement that the utility has been working to support organizations leading “critical food relief efforts” in Louisville, Lexington and Paducah during the government shutdown.
“We understand how, at any time throughout the year and particularly now during the shutdown, a customer may face an unexpected situation, and we encourage our customers to contact us right away if they’re facing a situation and think they may have difficulty paying their bill,” Pratt said in her statement.
Pratt said the utility can arrange for payment plans and connect people with local agencies that can offer assistance, including working with federal employees.
Stalled legislative efforts
One of the nonprofit leaders supporting Kentuckians for Energy Democracy said the request for a utility disconnection moratorium is also connected to efforts by the group to support state legislation that would prevent disconnections during extreme weather.
Lane Boldman, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Kentucky Conservation Committee, said such legislation could prevent dangerous situations during the upcoming winter.
“People are forced to use unconventional ways to heat their house or run appliances in ways that are less safe,” when a utility turns off a home’s heat, Boldman said.
Democratic-sponsored legislation this year to limit when utilities could disconnect a customer, including depending on what the temperature is outside, did not advance in the GOP-controlled legislature.
Boldman said such legislation would be a longer-term protection for low-income Kentuckians, while a utility disconnection moratorium would serve as a stopgap measure. The financial strain from the government shutdown on federal food assistance only exacerbates the situation.
“If we had a severe weather incident in the next week or two, people could be in serious risk,” Boldman said.
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Written by Liam Niemeyer. Cross-posted from the Kentucky Lantern.
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