Record 285k Illinois Residents Had Power Shut Off in 2022 Due to Nonpayment

A new Report According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Biological Diversity found that a href=”” households are more likely than ever to have their a href=”https://thepostmillennial.com/kathy-hochul-moves-to-ban-gas-stoves-in-new-york”>electricity Power companies were unable to pay their bills, and this led to them being disconnected. This happened between 2021-2022.

This is the leading state that reports such data. IllinoisIt was shut down by its main electricity suppliers between January and Oct 2022. This represents a huge increase in power supply for almost 300,000 households, an enormous increase on the previous year. 

The report states that disconnects account for approximately 5% of all reported incidents. Illinois In the first ten month of 2022, it rose 26 per cent from 2021 to 284,720. The state’s two largest electricity providers, Exelon’s Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) and Amaren, accounted for the vast majority of shut-offs.

Both companies are owned by investors and have been criticised for raising the salaries of executives while making electricity more expensive for customers.

According to the report, ComEd inflicted a rate increase of 26 percent in October 2021 and was granted permission by regulators in November 2022, to increase prices by $199 million. Customers were still being charged for late payments.

ComEd was also involved in a corruption scandal during this period. “using ratepayer funds as part of a bribery scheme” To ensure the passage of legislation for 2011 that is implemented a “formula rate” system. ComEd was able to benefit from nearly $4.7 Billion in rate hikes that the system caused to customers.

Covid-19 was launched in the United States. A moratorium was placed on nonpayment shutoffs. However, Illinois ended this policy as quickly as possible. In late 2021, such forgiveness was no longer offered.
 

“The preventable practice of disconnections keeps millions of Americans in poverty and narrows their avenues of escape,” The report was lamentable. “By giving utility companies the power to penalize poverty, we license them to perpetuate it.”

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