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· TEXAS LEGAL
SERVICES CENTER
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Press Release August 2, 2000 |
Contact: |
AUSTIN, TX -- Texas is experiencing a heat
emergency and consumer advocates are asking the Public Utility
Commission to adopt an emergency rule as it did in 1998 to suspend
disconnection of electric service through September 30, 2000 to save
lives and protect the public health and safety.
Texas Ratepayers Organization to Save Energy
(Texas ROSE) and Texas Legal Services Center formally filed a
petition
for emergency rulemaking yesterday with the PUC, for consideration at
the Commission's August 10 meeting. The petition is supported by the
Consumers Union Southwest Regional Office and AARP. A copy can be
obtained by calling (512) 477-4431, ext. 114.
As of July 25, a total of 32 Texans had died
due to heat stroke or other heat related conditions.
The current PUC rules prohibit disconnection on
days when the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a heat advisory.
However, the rule is inadequate during an extended heat wave, when
electricity bills mount can become too high for many consumers to
pay. When payments are past due the threat of disconnection looms. A
short break in the triple digit heat index could trigger
disconnection leaving the customer without electricity when the heat
index rises again.
The petition
requests that before issuing a disconnection notice the electric
utility must personally contact the customer and offer to establish a
minimum payment schedule and a deferred payment plan. A customer
would not have to pay the entire bill to avoid disconnection. The
groups said no one in Texas should die for fear that running the air
conditioner will mean they won't be able to afford to pay their next
electric bill.
Read the Petition
to Adopt An Emergency Rule To Suspend
Disconnection Of Electricity Because of Extreme and Persistent
Heat
Consumers
Union's Southwest Regional Office
