skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Despite Heat Wave, Utility Shutoffs Loom for 1 Million in NC

play audio
Play

Wednesday, July 29, 2020   

RALEIGH, N.C. -- As temperatures soar above 100 degrees in some regions, more than 1 million North Carolina households could lose access to air conditioning or running water when the state's ban on utility shutoffs expires Saturday.

Rory McIlmoil, senior energy analyst at Appalachian Voices, said Gov. Roy Cooper sent a letter to utilities on July 17, stating he would not extend the moratorium that's been in place under an executive order since May.

"And that the only additional protection that would be in place would be a requirement that utilities offer a minimum of six months for customers to pay any unpaid debt that they had accrued during the moratorium," McIlmoil explained.

In the past three months, the North Carolina Division of Public Health reported, more than 1,200 residents with heat-related illness have been rushed to hospital emergency rooms. The elderly, low-income households and people with pre-existing conditions are the most vulnerable to heat-related health problems.

McIlmoil said prior to the pandemic, nearly 40% of North Carolinians qualified for federal home energy-assistance programs, and he believes COVID-19 has exposed a long-standing problem in the state over water, electric and gas bills that aren't affordable. He said residents worried about their bills should contact their utility companies now.

"To set up a payment plan that can meet their needs; and just really, they need to be pushing their utilities and the governor to offer a more flexible, long-term payment plan where, even with a debt repayment charge, it doesn't increase their future bill by 10%," McIlmoil said. "Something like that would at least smooth out the impact for folks."

Joel Porter, policy manager at Clean Air Carolina added the coronavirus has underscored the need to integrate more renewable energy sources into the state's grid.

"If we have cleaner sources of energy, more renewable resources of energy, then you're not going to have people struggling to pay their bills like they are now," Porter said.

Advocacy groups across the state are urging federal lawmakers to pass a national shutoff moratorium as part of the next COVID-19 relief package.

Disclosure: Clean Air Carolina contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Energy Policy, Environment and Environmental Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …

Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …


Ohio is among 13 jurisdictions requiring Saturday and Sunday hours for early voting. (PX Media/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and the American Heart Association in Missouri is urging caregivers to take some much-needed time for themselve…

Menhaden are forage fish species and filter feeders, each capable of filtering up to seven gallons of water per minute. (Photo of female Osprey with Menhaden/TRCP)

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

Environment

play sound

By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for New Hampshire News Connection reporting for the Grist-Public News Service C…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021