URBANA – A moratorium on utility shutoffs in Illinois expired last Sunday. But with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, several utilities have volunteered to extend the moratorium for another month.
The Illinois Commerce Commission says utilities that agreed to the extension include Ameren Illinois, Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois. All of those serve customers in central Illinois. Other utilities taking part include ComEd, Nicor, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas, Utilities Services of Illinois and Liberty.
Three utilities that had been part of the previous moratorium have not yet signed up for the extension. They are MidAmerican Energy which serves the Quad Cities, Illinois Gas in the Olney area and Mount Carmel Public Utility Company in southeastern Illinois.
The moratorium extension means most residential customers (and many business customers) in the state won’t have to worry about losing electric, natural gas, water and sewer service until September.
But a spokespeople for Ameren Illinois and Illinois American Water say customers having trouble paying bills should still reach out to their utility immediately, to find out about alternative payment arrangements.
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