Rhode Island House Speaker Calls For Break On Energy Bills During Shutdown

PROVIDENCE, RI — House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi is calling on Rhode Island Energy to provide relief to Rhode Island households impacted by the government shutdown by agreeing to not impose utility shutoffs and through payment holds without interest or penalty, mirroring a similar program in Massachusetts, according to a media release.

“The distress and hardship being felt by Rhode Island federal civil servants should not be compounded by the fear of losing access to basic services like heat and electricity,” Shekarchi, D-Warwick, said in letters sent today to J. Gregory Cornett, president of Rhode Island Energy, and Ronald T. Gerwatowski, chair of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission.

"In his letter to Rhode Island Energy, Speaker Shekarchi calls on the utility to mirror the payment assistance program offered by National Grid to Massachusetts federal workers who are not being paid during the government shutdown, the release said. "National Grid has made federal employees, government contractors and active military personnel eligible for a payment hold on their accounts, which will not be shut off and will not accrue interest or penalties during the shutdown."

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