Resources Archive

Briefing Statement to the Massachusetts Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights Regarding Access to Safe and Affordable Water During and Beyond COVID-19

September 28, 2022

Safe and affordable drinking water and waste water service (referred to as “water service” in my statement) are essential utility services. The human body needs water to survive, and clean wateris necessary for cooking, cleaning and sanitation. Water service is also essential for a dwelling tobe considered habitable. The United Nations General Assembly has recognized…

Fact Sheet on Recent Federal Covid-19 Relief Funding to Help Consumers with Water and Sewer Bills

September 28, 2022

This fact sheet provides a summary of federal COVID-19 relief programs that can help consumers with overdue water and sewer (wastewater) bills. It is a guide for advocates, utilities, and state and local officials who are seeking to help customers with past due and unaffordable water bills.

A Guide for Advocates to Recent Federal COVID-19 Relief to Help Consumers Pay for Essential Energy, Water, and Broadband Service

September 28, 2022

This issue brief provides an overview for advocates on the key federal COVID-19 relief programs that can help consumers pay for essential energy, water, and broadband service.

Testimony in Support of the Bill 108/Senate Bill 524

September 28, 2022

Maryland Low-Income Energy Efficiency Savings Goal Low-income Marylanders pay an average of 13% of their annual income on energy costs, compared to 2% for non-low-income households. This translates to an average annual lowincome energy bill of $2,658, but an average annual income of only $20,038. Extremely poor households (0 to 75% of the federal poverty…

Smart Thermostats: Assessing Their Value in Low-Income Weatherization Programs

September 28, 2022

Smart thermostats – also referred to as wifi thermostats – are promoted as a measure that can produce substantial household energy savings and increased comfort and convenience for residential utility customers, beyond less costly traditional programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats. Interest in smart thermostats as a promising energy savings measure has increased in recent years as…

Advancing Equity in Utility Regulation

September 28, 2022

Future Electric Utility Regulation According to the Partnership for Southern Equity, equity is just and fair inclusion, and energy equity is the fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of energy production and consumption. In the context of electric utility regulation, equity can be a goal, tool, or metric. For example, the primary goal of…

Air-Source Heat Pumps: Protecting the Financial-Wellbeing of Low-Income Families While Addressing Climate Change

September 28, 2022

This issue brief provides an overview of issues to consider for advocates of programs aimed at increasing electrification for residential energy customers while protecting vulnerable low-income families. A carefully designed program can save low-income customers hundreds of dollars in energy bills while removing carbon from the atmosphere.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): A Safety Net that Saves Lives

September 28, 2022

The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides life-saving assistance for low-income households with young children, frail elderly, and individuals with disabilities, by helping to pay electricity, gas, and oil bills. Payments are generally made to the utility or fuel vendor directly to help ensure that utility service is not terminated and that fuel tanks…

Comments on Federal Reserve Board’s Interim Final Rule Implements Two Provisions of the CARD Act of 2009

September 28, 2022

These comments are submitted by the National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low income clients), and the Center for Responsible Lending, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Demos: A Network for Ideas & Action, National Association of Consumer Advocates, and U.S. Public Interest Research Group in response to the July 22,…

How the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Can Help Vulnerable Consumers After a Natural Disaster

September 28, 2022

The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)1 helps low-income households pay for home heating bills in the winter and cooling bills in the summer. LIHEAP also helps eligible households resolve energy crises, for example, by fixing a broken furnace or making an emergency payment to avert an imminent disconnection during frigid winters or…

Testimony in Support of MA S. 1559

September 28, 2022

Written Testimony before the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security In support of S. 1559, An Act Relative to Inmate Telephone Calls.

Testimony of Olivia Wein before the Maryland Economic Matters Committee re: HB 1001: Uniform Redetermination Process

September 28, 2022

All Resources