Energy insecurity and the urgent need for utility disconnection protections
Energy insecurity and the urgent need for utility disconnection protections
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DOI：
10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112663
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发表时间：
2021-10-13
期刊：
影响因子：
9
通讯作者：
Konisky, David M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Baker, Shalanda H.;Carley, Sanya;Konisky, David M.
数以百万计的美国人无法支付能源账单，并面临与能源供应商断绝联系的风险。在新冠肺炎大流行期间，这个问题变得更加严重，低收入家庭、有色人种家庭和弱势群体家庭受到这些疾病的打击尤其严重。在疫情爆发的头几个月，许多州对公用事业公司的断电实施了临时保护措施，但随着时间的推移，几乎所有这些保护措施都失效了。日益缺乏保护对弱势群体产生了严重影响。在这里，我们介绍了美国能源不安全问题的严重程度，讨论了国家断电保护的设计和演变，并为应对这一迫在眉睫的挑战提供了政策建议。
Millions of Americans are unable to pay their energy bills and face the risk of being disconnected from their energy providers. This problem has grown significantly worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, with low-income households, households of color, and households with vulnerable populations particularly hard-hit by these conditions. In the early months of the pandemic, many states imposed temporary protections on utility disconnection but, as time has evolved, nearly all of these protections have lapsed. An increasing lack of protection has serious implications for vulnerable populations. Here, we present the extent of the energy insecurity problem in the United States, discuss the design and evolution of state disconnection protections, and offer policy recommendations for addressing this imminent challenge.