State regulators are giving flood victims relief from paying their gas and electric bills.
The Public Utility Commission (PUC) has approved a two-month moratorium on electric and natural gas disconnections for residential and commercial customers who are rebuilding after this summer’s floods.
The Department of Public Service requested the moratorium after hearing from Vermonters struggling to pay their bills.
Most of the electric and gas utilities in the state told the PUC they supported the move.
More from Vermont Public: Maps: Which areas in Vermont were hit hardest in the July flooding?
“People need to keep the vacuums going, the dehumidifiers," said Paul Dragon, with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. "So that immediate moratorium is really, really important, especially for people who are already struggling."
Dragon says a similar program protected low-income residents during the pandemic.
The moratorium, which runs through Oct. 7, does not apply to locations where gas or electric service has to be cut off for safety purposes.
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