Rising power shutoffs threaten low-income families amid heatwaves

As heatwaves scorch the United States, low-income Americans face a growing risk of power shutoffs due to unpaid utility bills, worsened by inadequate state protections.

A new report from the Center for Energy Poverty and Climate and the National Energy Assistance Directors Association has highlighted the issue.

It noted that as many as 31 states lacked summer shutoff protections.

With over 100 million Americans under heat advisories, the report called for increased federal funding to address the crisis.

However, funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program has been cut from $6.1 billion to $4.1 billion, with only 12% allocated for cooling aid.

Republicans in the House of Representatives initiated the cut. 

The report also revealed that disconnection rates remained high, particularly in the South, where utility monopolies and rate hikes contribute to the problem.

Advocates have urged restoration of funding to prevent further hardship.

Power shutoffs in the summer are common across much of the US.

Energy insecurity researchers Sanya Carley and David Konisky say that one in four Americans faces energy insecurity—a figure that has not improved in the last decade.