Public Utilities Commission Extends Disconnection Mandate
Sierra Club praises Public Utilities Commission for keeping the lights on for Hawaiʻi’s families hit hard by COVID-19
Mandatory moratorium on utility shut-offs is extended but Sierra Club calls on Hawaiian Electric to do more for customers
HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I (August 25, 2020) – Today, the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission extended its mandate directing utilities to continue their suspension on disconnections through the end of 2020. In response, the Director for the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, Marti Townsend, offers the following statement:
“The Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi is grateful that the Public Utilities Commission has stepped up to do the right thing for our communities during these challenging times and continue to ensure essential services are provided. With a new stay at home order in place for Oʻahu, and distance learning and telework the new norm—in the heat of summer—reliable access to electricity is more important than ever. We hope that Hawaiian Electric will take these protective measures even further and offer full bill forgiveness for customers that are unemployed due to COVID-19.”
Utilities face less risk from the COVID-19 crisis because utilities benefit from protections unavailable to other industries and provide essential services. Hawaiian Electric is also unique in that they are not only obligated to provide essential services but benefit from these services—of which the corporation should not take advantage. Hawaiian Electric earned $48.9 million between April and June—at a time when the rest of Hawaiʻi’s economy was struggling. The average electricity bill in Hawaiʻi is about $200, meaning that the profit that Hawaiian Electric saw in the second quarter of 2020 alone could pay for over 240,000 residential electric bills.
The Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, its members and supporters have been calling on Hawaiian Electric to extend its suspension on disconnection due to non-payment for the last month. Over 1,000 residents and 26 local organizations supported their petition urging Hawaiian Electric to take matters into their own hands and support the well-being of our communities.
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