Lawmakers seek to ban some utility shutoffs during extreme heat

OLYMPIA, Wash. — While the Northwest braces for more cold weather, lawmakers in Olympia are busy thinking about how hot it will get this summer. On Thursday, the House Committee on Environment & Energy takes up a bill that supporters say could be a matter of life and death during extreme heat.

In Washington, it’s illegal for utilities to shut off power because of ‘non-payment’ during extremely cold weather. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is pushing House Bill 1329, which would take that same concept and apply it to summer heat waves. Read more at king5.com.