After Job Losses, Power Cuts Loom for Millions.

In September, after a pandemic-prompted pause, power companies serving tens of millions of Americans will resume service shutoffs to customers who are behind on their bills. Duke Energy, which serves 7.8 million customers across seven states in the Southeast and Midwest, tells TIME that as of Aug. 30, roughly 300,000 of its customers were 60 days or more behind on their gas or electric bills. While some states are continuing to prevent shutoffs--regulators in Wisconsin, Maryland and Massachusetts extended their moratoriums, for example--consumer advocates have urged Congress to impose a national moratorium on utility shutoffs. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Time International (Atlantic Edition) is the property of TIME USA, LLC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)