Advocates are demanding Ameren Missouri do more for its St. Louis customers who were affected by the May 16 tornado.
The Sierra Club of Missouri, Tenants Transforming Greater St. Louis, the Consumer’s Council of Missouri and more than 30 other organizations and politicians sent a letter to Ameren CEO Marty Lyons on Wednesday asking the company to pause disconnections through the end of the year along the path of the tornado and forgive utility debt in that area.
“This is not just about a storm,” said Rachel Hurtado of Arch City Defenders. “The communities hit hardest by the tornado are the same communities that have already been suffering under Ameren’s unjust energy system.”
The utility has already paused disconnections in areas affected by the tornado through the end of July, but advocates said that's not enough to protect residents from mounting bills and extreme heat that often extends into early fall.
“We have someone who has literally died due to their utilities, their electricity, being disconnected,” said Kristian Blackmon, executive director of Tenants Transforming Greater St. Louis, referring to a woman who died in her hot St. Louis County apartment. “We do not want to see that for anyone else in the city.”
An Ameren spokesperson said that the company has several energy assistance programs to help people impacted by the storm, and that the company made a $1 million donation to assist recovery efforts. The spokesperson said people who need assistance should call Ameren directly at 800-552-7583, or call 211 to connect to community resources related to the storm and energy assistance.
The advocates said Ameren’s customer assistance programs are not effective in helping people who are unable to afford their electricity service. The company markets these programs heavily, but enrollment numbers are low, said Sandra Padgett, executive director of the Consumer’s Council.
“If you look at their website, you're almost overwhelmed by the number of programs they have,” Padgett said. “But the stories that we hear from people who are trying to apply are very different.”
The open letter points to a recent energy burden report, which examined the parts of St. Louis where residents spend the highest percentage of their household income on utilities. Many of the most burdened areas were in the path of the tornado, the letter said.
“These families were already struggling with high bills and now face even greater challenges in the coming months and years as they work to rebuild their lives,” the letter states.
As of June, more than 160,000 Ameren customers were behind on their bills, according to utility data obtained by the Energy and Policy Institute. That represented about 15% of Ameren Missouri’s customers. People were behind, on average, about $130, totaling more than $21 million.
“Hundreds of people are displaced now and racking up electric bills in damaged homes that they can't even sleep safely in,” Hurtado said.
Electricity bills have gone up for Ameren customers lately. The utility recently won state approval to increase rates for households by about 12%. Gov. Mike Kehoe also recently signed a major utility bill into law that advocates say will lead to higher electricity bills.
