STATEMENT: Gov. Cooper’s order helps protect North Carolina families from public service utility shutoffs during pandemic

RALEIGH (March 31, 2020) – Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced an order directing all electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities operating in the state to suspend service shutoffs, late payment fees, and reconnection fees to assist families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, nearly 30 public interest organizations sent a letter to Gov. Cooper calling on him to take immediate action to protect North Carolinians by taking these kinds of measures to halt shutoffs of critical utility services during the crisis.

Statement from Al Ripley, NC Justice Center:
“We commend the Governor for his action. This is a significant step in helping North Carolinians through this crisis and protecting the public health. We’ll continue to monitor utilities treatment of consumers going forward.”

Statement from Rory McIlmoil, Appalachian Voices:
“We expect all utilities to serve their customers in good faith and take this responsibility seriously. But we urge utility customers — especially those served by electric cooperatives and municipal utilities — to let us know if they’re still facing the threat of being disconnected or charged fees for late payment.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Al Ripley, Director of the Consumer, Housing & Energy Project, NC Justice Center, al@ncjustice.org, 919-274-8245; Rory McIlmoil, Appalachian Voices Senior Energy Analyst, rory@appvoices.org 423-433-9415; Julia Hawes, julia@ncjustice.org