Some of America’s largest utilities cut power to millions of struggling customers in recent years even as they spent billions of dollars on stock buybacks, dividend payments to shareholders and executive salaries, a new analysis of industry data has found.
The report also reveals that companies could use just a tiny fraction of their investor and executive spending to forgive debt at all households where power was cut.
The shutoffs disproportionately affect low income and customers from communities of color, and the “harrowing” situation is driven by corporate profiteering, said Selah Goodson Bell, a study co-author and energy justice campaigner with the Center For Biological Diversity.
[…]
In the 30 states where shut off data was available, utilities cut service 1.5m times during the first 10 months of 2022, and an estimated 4.2m times nationwide. The report also reveals the issue is worsening: the number of electric shutoffs jumped by nearly one-third and gas shutoffs spiked by 76% between 2021 and the first 10 months of 2022.
Illinois posted the highest number of shutoffs during that time period at over 500,000, and it was followed by Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio. Exelon Corp, the parent company to utility giants like ComEd in Illinois and Peco in Pennsylvania, reported 648,000 shutoffs. It was followed by The Southern Co, DTE Energy, Ameren and FirstEnergy.
Some of the companies that likely have the highest totals aren’t included. Between 2020-2021, Florida utilities shut off power 1.4m times, a “staggering” figure largely driven by NextEra’s Florida Light and Power division. But Florida no longer requires utilities to keep track of disconnections.
[…]
On average each spent about $4bn on dividends, and customer debt from their collective 4.9m shutoffs totaled about 1% of their dividend spending.
“That was one of the data points that really hit home because that’s just such a small scrape of the amount of money that utilities are shelling out to shareholders that could really change lives in millions of households,” Goodson Bell said.
FirstEnergy, which serves Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio, shut off power about 240,000 times for customer debts totalling about $25m. Meanwhile, the company paid $2.3bn in dividends.
The 12 companies collectively paid about 70 top executives $1.2bn, or about $5.9m annually per executive.
[…]
Increasing gas and electricity prices are partly driving the number of shutoffs, but so are regulatory decisions to allow companies to almost always pass on increased costs to customers. Utilities also continue investing in capital-intensive projects that in many cases are good for their investors but not cost effective for consumers, who could benefit from community solar, rooftop solar, or other distributed energy sources.
[…]
The authors say addressing the situation would require including uniform federal record keeping, a halt on new fossil fuel investment, and a ban on punitive billing practices. States could tax utility profits to pay off customer debt, design more effective debt relief programs, eliminate consumer debt, and develop a percentage-of-income-based payment plan.
But the clearest solution, Goodson Bell said, is a ban on shutoffs.
“Since we see energy as a human right and shut offs are not something that the utility industry needs to do to financially operate, we’re calling for a permanent ban,” he said.
The teams aren’t even set yet for the Feb. 12 game, but some of the planned commercials are already trickling out.
The Super Bowl isn’t just for football. It’s a showcase for companies to trot out their newest, wildest innovations, and for ad agencies to try to sell viewers those products and services in short commercials that are more like mini-movies.
Celebrities abound, special effects dazzle, some ads zero in on viewer tear ducts, while others unleash the jokes like seltzer in a clown’s face. Some of the ads are instant hits. (Alexa turning mind-reader in Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost’s home was pretty funny last year.) And others leave viewers as confused as Homer Simpson’s operatic, snow-globe smashing Mister Plow commercial left him and his whole family. (Lisa: “Dad, is that your commercial?” Homer: “I don’t know!”)
Companies are already releasing teasers and even full versions of their ads for the Feb. 12 game.
[… one example …]
Heineken will take the buzz out of Super Bowl beer commercials by advertising its nonalcoholic Heineken 0.0 in partnership with Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. The beer brand kicked off the campaign with a brief teaser starring Paul Rudd as Ant-Man.
This Dry Jan, Heineken 0.0 and Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and The Wasp: #Quantumania” are teaming up on a campaign that focuses on drinking (and shrinking) responsibly.
i had the very same thought the last few utterances – smelled fear/wariness/cowardice and an awkwardness unusual for little lindsey in his latest performances of fealty.
“I don’t know if it’s just me, but does Graham look like he’s being held hostage there?” the host asked after rolling footage of one of the recent Trump events. “Should we say, hey, Lindsey, blink twice if you need help? This is the same Lindsey Graham who repeatedly disavowed Trump both before he was elected, and after the Jan. 6th insurrection.”
“Count me out,” Graham proclaimed on the Senate floor after the Jan. 6 attack.
Former Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) noted that she remembers the times that Graham was brave enough to stand against Trump and each time he returned.
“I remember watching very clearly on Jan. 6,” Hill recalled. “I was — finally, this is the moment that he’s done. It’s just not. It feels like a domestic violence situation. I don’t know what to say, except that he really, it’s pretty pathetic is what it boils down.”
A nice foretaste of karma delivered when graham had to testify in georgia. Under oath. That hurt him.
Sex. It is the only thing left to look for – other than murder.
Three days of ice on the power lines in Texas. This should be an interesting week.
A little ditty for the times we are in: Praying for Time
I didn’t know he played football.
jamie, guess i was thinking of their mascot Swoop
here’s an interesting version of their song
just to be fair & balanced, here’s “KC Wolf” the mascot for the chiefs
always wondered if KC stole the tomahawk chop chant from fsu seminoles or the other way around.
at least the ‘noles mascot Renegade is a bit more fearsome than either super bowl teams’ critter — but maybe not as cute as the KC wolf tho’
Pat, we stole it from the Atlanta Braves, who stole it from the ‘noles. Remember the world series with Ted Turner doing the Chop and His wife at the time Jane Fonda doing some weird version of “doing it but not doing it” at the same time. After that KC just had to have it and like everything else KC, are still doing it long after everybody else got bored.
The Chiefs original mascot was a pinto horse called warpaint ridden by a fake Indian with full fake, plains culture, headdress.
Jack
Today in the guardian:
and it’s not just the utilities gang
Why gas prices are surging this month | CNN Business
now that the playoffs are finally are over, the real game awaits
Super Bowl 2023 Ads So Far: See Spots Starring Bryan Cranston, Meghan Trainor, Kevin Bacon (cnet.com)
This Dry Jan, Heineken 0.0 and Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and The Wasp: #Quantumania” are teaming up on a campaign that focuses on drinking (and shrinking) responsibly.
jack, congrats BTW
yesterday the who dey, tomorrow the big bird
Super Bowl LVII: Start time, odds and halftime show
i had the very same thought the last few utterances – smelled fear/wariness/cowardice and an awkwardness unusual for little lindsey in his latest performances of fealty.
‘Like a domestic violence situation’: Former Rep. concerned about Lindsey Graham’s Trump relationship (msn.com)
A nice foretaste of karma delivered when graham had to testify in georgia. Under oath. That hurt him.
Sex. It is the only thing left to look for – other than murder.
Three days of ice on the power lines in Texas. This should be an interesting week.
A little ditty for the times we are in: Praying for Time
I didn’t know he played football.
jamie, guess i was thinking of their mascot Swoop
here’s an interesting version of their song
just to be fair & balanced, here’s “KC Wolf” the mascot for the chiefs
always wondered if KC stole the tomahawk chop chant from fsu seminoles or the other way around.
at least the ‘noles mascot Renegade is a bit more fearsome than either super bowl teams’ critter — but maybe not as cute as the KC wolf tho’
Pat, we stole it from the Atlanta Braves, who stole it from the ‘noles. Remember the world series with Ted Turner doing the Chop and His wife at the time Jane Fonda doing some weird version of “doing it but not doing it” at the same time. After that KC just had to have it and like everything else KC, are still doing it long after everybody else got bored.
The Chiefs original mascot was a pinto horse called warpaint ridden by a fake Indian with full fake, plains culture, headdress.
Jack
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