Petition to Texas PUC Seeks Protections for Harvey Victims

This afternoon, AARP Texas is joining the City of Houston, Texas Legal Services Center (TLSC), Texas Ratepayers’ Organization to Save Energy (Texas ROSE), One Voice Texas and the Texas Association of Community Action Agencies in filing a Petition for Emergency Rulemaking before the Texas Public Utility Commission to extend electricity customer protection rules for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. AARP Texas Director Bob Jackson released the following statement.

“AARP Texas joins the City of Houston and other organizations today in asking the Public Utility Commission to grant continued relief for our fellow Texans in 39 counties whose lives were turned upside down by Hurricane Harvey. The expiration of the previous PUC order on electricity disconnections, security deposits and late fees doesn’t mean that the situation has ended. To the contrary, we believe the journey for evacuees is just beginning, and the emergency is far from over.

“We urge the PUC to extend this lifeline to Harvey victims for a longer period to allow them to put their lives back in order.

“We’re especially concerned for older evacuees, who often live on fixed incomes, and for families living paycheck-to-paycheck. These folks don’t have the financial means to pay a service deposit after becoming homeless. They need help and they need that help to be sustained.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with our fellow Texans devastated by this unprecedented disaster.”

For more information, contact: Rafael Ayuso, AARP Texas, rayuso@aarp.org; 512-480-2432