Advocates Call for Utility Shutoff Moratorium in Minnesota Amid Racial Disparities in Electricity Disconnections, Study Reveals.

A coalition of energy equity and justice advocates has urged Minnesota regulators to reinstate a utility shutoff moratorium following a study by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Science, Technology and Environmental Policy revealed racial disparities in disconnections by Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility. The study found that customers in communities of color were more than three times more likely to have their electricity involuntarily disconnected between 2017 and 2021 compared to those in predominantly White neighborhoods. The disparities persist even after controlling for other factors such as income, ownership status, and housing age. The researchers also found disparities in reliability, with communities of colour almost 50% less likely to experience prolonged power outages than predominantly White areas. The groups have urged the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to order a study of the costs and benefits of reinstating the moratorium.