Protecting Access to Utilities During COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, initiatives were launched in Michigan to ensure access to water and energy utilities. Executive orders, grant programs, and partnerships were put in place to prevent shut-offs, provide assistance, and increase transparency and accountability. Residents were urged to contact local utilities and relevant departments for support with bill payments and access to assistance programs.
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Protecting Access to Utilities During COVID-19
Protecting Access to Water On March 28, the Governor signed EO 2020-28. This order required: the reconnection of water service where it had been previously shut off due to nonpayment, and accountability and tracking measures for public water supplies At the same time, EGLE launched the Restart Grant Program to help cities comply with and pay for the reconnection program. This started with a $500k grant to the City of Detroit.
Continued: Protecting Access to Water Since the EO and Restart Grant Program were launched, the administration has worked to: provide emergency water to help fill the need in communities, facilitate customer complaints about their water utilities, connect communities to appropriate resources and assistance programs, and urge residents with water bill payment concerns to contact their local water utility and DHHS to get connected to assistance programs.
Protecting Access to Energy On March 27, the Governor, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), and DHHS announced a partnership energy utilities aimed at protecting customers from shut offs. This included pausing shut offs, restoring service, adding flexible payment plans, and streamlining energy assistance funding. On April 17, the MPSC issued an order to ensure statewide binding protections for residents and increased transparency and accountability for utilities.
Continued: Protecting Access to Energy The administration urged residents with energy bill payment concerns to contact their energy utility and DHHS to get connected to assistance programs. We worked with utilities and radio stations to air PSAs across the state alerting residents to the available assistance. With supplemental funding from the U.S. DHHS for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program, DHHS launched a pilot with Michigan s three largest energy utilities This pilot will provide eligible customers with direct support payments on utility bills and waive 25% of the outstanding bills for households receiving the direct payment support.
