Utility Debt Cancellation

fighting to cancel utility bill debt for all new yorkers

Across New York, the COVID-19 pandemic has left people without income and without any means to pay their bills. The average New Yorker who is behind on utility payments is now over  $1,000 in energy debt. This debt is slowing our recovery and putting the most vulnerable New Yorkers at risk of power shutoffs when the utility shut off moratorium is lifted. This is why the Energy Democracy Alliance is fighting for full debt forgiveness. During an emergency, it must be the shareholders, not everyday people, who pay for energy relief.

New York has a handful of investor-owned corporations that control our electricity and gas utilities. Our communities experience that corporations do not prioritize consumers in their decision-making. Rather, they focus on their investors making money. These corporations argue that they are entitled to the same rate of profit established prior to the pandemic, and most are asking to raise their customers’ bills even as many New Yorkers have been furloughed, had hours of work reduced, and have had to close their businesses. As customers’ energy debt grows, our energy regulators have failed to act to reduce bills, provide meaningful debt relief, or establish improved energy affordability policies.  

Utilities are legally required to provide safe, reliable service at fair and reasonable rates. They have failed to do so. We argue that this failure constitutes a breach of their responsibilities, and support legislation that would make shareholders pay for energy debt instead of customers. We are working to draft legislation that will cancel energy debt.