Let's talk about utility shut-offs

Presented by National Clean Energy Week: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Sep 15, 2022 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by National Clean Energy Week New Yorkers cool off with the help of a fire hydrant during a heat wave in the city. | Mario Tama/Getty Images Are power and water a human right? Three congressional Democrats think so — and they want Congress to enshrine that right in law. Progressive Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Jamaal Bowman of New York introduced a resolution Thursday that calls on lawmakers to ban utilities from shutting off water, heating, cooling and other essential services. While the resolution would merely be a "sentiment" of Congress, its sponsors are hoping to highlight just how bad the crisis has become amid rising energy costs and the end of pandemic relief. About 1 in 6 households in the U.S. — 20 million families — are behind on their utility bills, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, a coalition representing state governments. From January to June of this year, households had their power shut off almost 440,000 times across 15 states that made their rates available, according to preliminary data collected by the Center for Biological Diversity. That's a dramatic increase compared to last year's rates, the environmental group found. While some states and utilities stopped disconnecting power during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, those moratoriums started to expire just as the price of natural gas climbed. Families now owe about $16 billion in late utilities bills, double pre-pandemic levels, according to NEADA. "In the richest country the world has ever known, it is an outrage that millions of Americans struggle with utility insecurity, substandard and dangerous services, and inhumane shutoffs," Tlaib said in a statement. While most states have laws that prevent utilities from shutting off services because of unpaid bills during the winter, fewer than half have similar measures for the summer. And as climate change continues to fuel longer and more intense heat waves, shut-offs are becoming increasingly dangerous. At least 1,300 people die a year in the U.S. due to extreme heat, according to federal data . And a recent study found that from 2008 to 2017, each additional day over 90 degrees Fahrenheit led to seven more deaths per 10 million adults. The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps some families pay their power bills. While lawmakers have called for additional funding, the lion's share of the program's nearly $4 billion budget goes toward heating expenses. In fiscal 2019, only 8 percent of LIHEAP funds went toward cooling assistance.   It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell.  Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. Listen to today's POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Tanya Snyder breaks down why railroad workers were threatening to strike in the first place and how it could have disrupted the domestic energy space.   A message from National Clean Energy Week: Save the date for the 6th annual National Clean Energy Week (NCEW), September 26-30! NCEW celebrates the policies, industries, and innovations that power our daily lives while reducing emissions. Ready to join the national clean energy conversation? REGISTER for the VIRTUAL Policy Makers Symposium on September 27-29! Join us to hear from legislators, industry leaders, and clean energy advocates alike! Thanks to NCEW sponsors, registration is 100% FREE for all attendees! Register for FREE here.   Power Centers Freight train cars sit in a Norfolk Southern rail yard in Atlanta. | Danny Karnik/AP Photo Strike averted ... for now President Joe Biden announced a tentative deal early Thursday morning to avert a nationwide rail strike that threatened to disrupt large swaths of the energy sector, writes Nico Portuondo. Energy companies were concerned that a rail strike could wreak havoc on the sector, possibly shutting down oil and coal facilities. Oil renaissance? Biden's new climate law could help oil companies lower their tax bills, even after they reaped record profits this year from $5-and-up gasoline prices, writes Mike Lee. The law includes a new minimum tax on some high-earning companies, along with a tax on corporations that buy back shares of their own stock — something else that top U.S. oil producers have spent billions of dollars doing. But the law's provisions also allow businesses to take tax breaks that could reduce how much the oil companies must pay. The death of Das Auto  Since the dawn of the automobile, German-made cars have been king. And the internal combustion engine remains one of the only parts still made inside the country, writes Joshua Posaner. But as the industry goes electric, Germany may be dethroned by Silicon Valley's Tesla and a host of competing Chinese carmakers now heading for Europe. In Other News The Richmond, Va., city skyline is seen behind the coal ash ponds along the James River. | Steve Helber/AP Photo Environmental (in)justice: EPA is cracking down on coal ash disposal. But the move could mean more coal ash being dumped in landfills disproportionately located in low-income and Black neighborhoods. How about that : Patagonia founder gives away his company and says "Earth is now our only shareholder." Question Corner The science, policy and politics driving the energy transition can feel miles away. But we're all affected on an individual and communal level — from hotter days and higher gas prices to home insurance rates and food supply. Want to know more? Send me your questions and I'll get you answers.   A message from National Clean Energy Week:   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. A pump jack is seen in Tatum, N.M., in March. | AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio Internal documents from oil and gas majors show that top executives crudely mocked climate activists and sought to reduce their vulnerability to climate litigation. Investigators released documents they say show oil industry executives' private communications contradicted their public statements and marketing campaigns committing to climate action. Oil and gas companies donated millions of dollars to two groups that used the majority of the funds to campaign against an environmental ballot initiative. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   A message from National Clean Energy Week: Are you ready to join the national clean energy conversation? Save the date for the 6th annual National Clean Energy Week (NCEW), September 26-30 and REGISTER for the VIRTUAL Policy Makers Symposium on September 27-29! Tune in to hear from legislators, industry leaders, and clean energy advocates like YOU— thanks to NCEW sponsors, registration is 100% completely FREE for all attendees! NCEW is a weeklong celebration of the policies, industries, and innovations that power our daily lives while reducing emissions. Join us to recognize what an all-of-the-above clean energy future can bring: American energy independence, economic prosperity, & a healthier climate. Register for FREE here.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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