Wisconsin's winter utility moratorium ends; protesters call on We Energies to pause disconnections

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Wisconsin's winter utility moratorium has ended, and utilities are once again able to disconnect the power of customers who've fallen behind on their bills. Protesters and liberal elected officials rallied in Milwaukee Tuesday afternoon, calling on We Energies to voluntarily continue the moratorium.

About two dozen people gathered outside the We Energies offices at the intersection of N. 32nd St. and W. North Ave. for an hourlong demonstration. Keviea Guiden with North Side Rising said it'd be irresponsible to resume disconnections in the current climate, both literally and figuratively.

"We're in Wisconsin. Who knows what the weather may be today or tomorrow? It could be hot, it could be cold," she said. "Folks are struggling to pay for rent, utility bills, food, so with everything being increased, it's just not a good look."

The newest member of the Milwaukee Common Council, Alex Brower, and state Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) joined demonstrators for the rally. Brower doubled down on his call for the city to replace We Energies with its own city-run utility. 

"A pause on shutoffs, that's absolutely necessary for working people," Brower said. "Given the climate of this economy and given climate change."

We Energies spokesman Brendan Conway said customers with outstanding balances who establish and maintain payment plans are not at risk of having their power cut off.

"If you're behind on your bill and you haven't made any attempt to contact us, you may be at risk of disconnection." Conway said. "What we tell our customers is if you simply contact us and you get on a payment plan, you stay current on the payment plan, we're not gonna turn off your service. It's really that simple."

Wisconsin offers energy payment assistance for low-income people through the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP). Families of four are eligible if their household income is less than about $71,000 a year. People living on their own are eligible if their annual income is less than about $37,000.

WHEAP is federally funded through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The future of the program is now murky following the Trump administration's decision this month to fire every federal worker involved in LIHEAP. It's unclear whether the firings will disrupt the flow of those federal dollars into the states for programs like WHEAP.

There is also the Low-Income Forgiveness Tool (LIFT) available for customers in Milwaukee County who've fallen behind on their bills. The program allows for the forgiveness of some overdue payments if approved customers stick to a plan where they pay back half of what they owed over the course of one year. Conway said about 30,000 people took part in the LIFT program last year.

Milwaukee County residents seeking an appointment where they can apply for energy assistance can do so through Community Advocates.

"If you pay half your arrears, or the money you owed every month, then at the end of those 12 months, we'll cover the other half," he said.

Protesters also called on We Energies to implement a new rate structure that ensures power bills will not cost more than 2% of a customer's monthly income.

"Why are we paying and seeing and facing continuous rate increases on our electric and gas bills, you know?" Guiden said. "Minimum wage is still $7.25. Give me a break, OK."

Conway said the problem with a rate cap would be it'd shift a larger share of the overall electric and gas costs to ratepayers whose bills aren't capped. Another criticism is rate caps encourage inefficient energy usage since people whose bills are capped would pay the same amount regardless of how much electricity they use.

"What that would do is it would shift costs to other customers," Conway said. "So, if you have some customers who are paying less because it's based on income, then that money goes elsewhere."

Anyone behind on bills can go to we-energies.com or use the We Energies app to connect with financial and energy assistance options.