SWEPCO responds after Shreveport council urges company to temporarily ban disconnections
The Shreveport City Council agreed Tuesday to ask Southwestern Electric Power Company to temporarily stop disconnecting utilities for late payments, but the company said Thursday the Council’s request will not prevent those cut-offs.
Council member Alan Jackson proposed the disconnection moratorium because of the summer’s high heat and calls from his constituents who had their services cut-off in the days following heat wave advisories.
The Council asked that disconnections be halted until at least November.
SWEPCO has a policy not to disconnect customers on days where the National Weather Service has issued a heat wave advisory.
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“I had somebody in the district that was disconnected, ended up suffering a seizure after the fact due to the fact that they didn’t have any power,” Jackson said.
The Council voted to approve their request to SWEPCO in a 4-1 vote where Jackson was supported by council members Tabatha Taylor, James Green and Jerry Bowman, Jr. John Nickelson was the only opposition. Grayson Boucher was not present for the meeting and LeVette Fuller stepped out of the room while the vote was taken.
Thursday, SWEPCO released a statement saying they would continue to perform disconnections as allowed by Louisiana law.
Read the statement below:
“The city council’s resolution does not prevent SWEPCO from disconnecting residential customers. SWEPCO disconnects customers in accordance with rules established by the Louisiana Public Service Commission.
We understand customers are concerned about their electricity bills due to high demand during record-breaking heat. We take many factors into consideration before making a decision to cut off residential customers during extreme weather. Some of those factors are mandated by the LPSC, including that we do not cut off residential service when there are heat advisories issued by the National Weather Service.
If a customer is facing financial difficulties, we encourage them to reach out to our SWEPCO team now to discuss flexible payment options and other payment arrangements. There are also community assistance programs available for those who qualify. Taking action now can help keep bills manageable and electric service connected.”
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Kendrick Dante writes for the USA Today Network and is a government watchdog reporter in Shreveport, Louisiana. He enjoys cooking, concerts, and content. Email him at kdbrown1@gannett.com or connect on Twitter @kendrickdante.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: SWEPCO responds to Shreveport council’s urge to ban utility disconnections
