On Easing The Energy Burden

City Council reps back plan to help ease energy burden 

Memphis City Councilwoman Patrice J. Robinson wants more people to share their pennies to help ease the energy burden low income families face. 

Robinson plans on presenting a resolution to the City Council's MLGW Committee on Tuesday, calling for rounding up customers’ utility bills to the nearest dollar. Utility customers would “opt out” of the Share the Pennies program rather than opting in. Both the City Council and the MLGW Board of Commissioners would have to approve the change. 

 

Councilwoman Patrice Robinson discussing Share The Pennies.

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the NAACP and MLGW’s Neighborhood Advisory Council support the resolution. On average, an MLGW customer would contribute about 50 cents a month or $6 a year. The most anyone would pay in a year would be about $12. 

Donations for MLGW and MIFA’s Project CARE help with such repairs as replacing heaters and adding insulation, double-pane windows or energy efficient doors. If approved, the change would allow customers six months to opt out of the program. An Energy Justice Town Hall meeting is scheduled for Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Benjamin L. Hook Central Library at 3030 Poplar. 

L to R: Angela Garrone of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and MLGW's Neighborhood Advisory Committee members Sandra Upchurch, Charlie Hines, Linda Williams and Joann Hill.

Charlie Hines pitches in her pennies to support a new way that expands the funding of the Share the Pennies program during a City Hall press conference Friday.