White House Pressured To Intervene On Forthcoming Drinking Water Shutoffs
As the novel coronavirus pandemic impacted Americans’ ability to earn income and pay for fundamental services, drinking water utilities around the country have waived fees or suspended shutoffs for those households that haven’t been able to pay their bills. But with shutoffs looming again in many states, some have asked for federal intervention to help consumers maintain access to drinking water.
“Utility protections enacted in the early months of the pandemic are slated to expire in some states — including Hawaii, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont — over the next few weeks,” The Washington Post reported. ”The looming lapses have registered new urgent alarm among congressional lawmakers and community activists nationwide, who say the Biden administration should have acted faster, and sooner, to distribute federal aid to households at risk.”
Though President Biden has proposed a sweeping infrastructure bill that could funnel billions of dollars to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, his administration has not indicated that it would issue any kind of national moratorium on water shutoffs for those who haven’t paid their bills. As a result, some lawmakers have reportedly requested a meeting with the Department of Health and Human Services and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain over their concerns for constituents who might have their access to drinking water shut off, per the Post.
For those lawmakers and others, it’s clear that gaps in water access belie other fundamental inequities in the country.
“Even as the stock market is improving, the number of people applying for unemployment benefits has decreased and new vaccines are reaching those in need, the country’s recovery hasn’t been equal — and some of the families and communities hit hardest by the coronavirus are at risk of falling even further behind,” per the Post. “With water, in particular, the gaps are stark: More than 200 million Americans will be living in states without a full water shut-off moratorium in place.”
As the federal government is lobbied to consider preventing water shutoffs, some cities around the country are working themselves to ensure residents can maintain access to drinking water.
“Communities in Michigan can resume water shutoffs for non-payment,” as The Detroit News reported. “But … in Detroit, Michigan’s largest city, the moratorium goes on. Weeks before state lawmakers created the three-month moratorium, Detroit announced one of its own through 2022, with intentions that shutoffs will never resume.”
To read more about how drinking water operations communicate with ratepayers, visit Water Online’s Consumer Outreach Solutions Center.