Pacific Gas and Electric's automated power shut-offs will continue despite pushback from some officials. The shut-offs happen when their computer systems
it is simply not enough. what we re asking for is just for greater reform and a stop to all shutoffs across the country. reporter: this crisis has put energy companies under the microscope. in washington, the house energy and commerce committee is investigating six of the nation s largest power companies after they took covid bailout money and still shut power to millions of homes. in new york, the state has launched several investigations into potential price gouging by both the oil industry and utility companies. it is a crisis for my constituents. reporter: this state senator is leading one of them. they are being ripped off. so-to-have a modest home be hit with a $1400, $1500 bill is patently insane. and people are making money off of it and they should be ashamed of themselves and have to be held accountable. reporter: power companies say they are just passing along their own increased costs. we ll see if the investigations turn up anything else. and the two customers
power. i m very conscious of it. and a little paranoid. reporter: reverend thomas johnson and his wife had have been keeping the lights off at their home in queens. their rate keeps rising and they owe the power company $13,000 after they were hit with a massive reconciliation bill. i m saying to myself, am i going to have to take out a second mortgage to pay an energy bill? that doesn t make any sense. reporter: 18% of american households are in debt to their power company, owing roughly $23 billion. now many families like reverend johnson s are facing a shutoff notice. so we really have our back up against the wall. reporter: most states ban shutoffs during the cold of winter. we expect to see an explosion in shutoffs happening in the next few months. reporter: in the past year, the biden administration has more than doubled funding for the low income home energy assistance program, or liheap,
before that was only reaching 17% of eligible households. it is just simply not enough. what we re asking for is just for greater reform and a stop to all shutoffs across the country. reporter: this crisis has put energy companies under the microscope n washington, the house energy and commerce committee is investigating six of the nation s largest power companies. after they took covid bailout money, and still shut power to millions of homes. in new york, the state launched several investigations into potential price gauging by both the oil industry and utility companies. it is a crisis for my constituents. reporter: state senator james scoop is leading one of them. they re being ripped off. to have a modest home be hit with a $1400, $1500 bill is patently insane. and people are making money off of it. and they should be ashamed of themselves and got to be held accountable. reporter: now power companies say they re just passing along their own increased costs from a partic
a little paranoid. reporter: reverend thomas johnson and his wife have been keeping the lights off at their home in queens. their rate keeps rising and they owe the power company $13,000 after they were hit with a massive reconciliation bill. i m saying to myself him a i going to have to take out a second mortgage just to pay an energy bill? doesn t make any sense. reporter: 18% of american households are in debt on their power company, owing roughly $23 billion. now many families like reverend johnson s are facing a shutoff notice. so we have our back up against the wall. reporter: most states ban shutoffs during the cold of winter, but those are ending. and we expect to see an explosion of shutdownoffs. reporter: the biden administration has more than doubled funding for the low income assistance program, which before that was only reaching 17% of eligible households.