Shutoff Abolition Hub

According to the EIA, utilities executed 15 million shutoffs in 2024 across the US – 13.4 million electric and 1.5 million gas. You can view our analysis below or at tsunami-of-shutoffs.org.
Enough is enough – we’ve collected resources to support Shutoff Abolition work on this page. Reach out to us if you want to get involved.

Hone Your Counterargument

Arguments against shutoff abolition tend to fall into a few narrow categories:

i) We can’t afford it,
ii) People won’t pay their bills without the threat of shutoffs,
iii) We need to start with affordability,
iv) We already have shutoff protections.

We’ve been working to hone a compelling counterargument through these articles, presentations, and comments. These resources will give you some helpful background on the extent of the problem, the consequences of shutoffs, and why we can’t wait.

Articles

• Why Do We Still Have Energy Shutoffs? Another World is Possible. – Arguments against shutoff abolition and our rebuttals.
• Cal and Lena – Demonstrating how those who need energy benefits the most often can’t access them, while the wealthy easily capture clean energy subsidies.
• Energy Justice Scriptures poem – A poem by Justin Schott dedicated to 100 million souls held captive by the valley of the shadow of utility shutoffs.
• Shielding a Single Stone – One person’s experience navigating the utility system to try to keep the power on to one home.

Presentations

• Shutoff Primer
• Municipal shutoffs – Shutoffs are not just an IOU problem.

Comments to EIA

Includes recommendations, good foundational background on shutoff data and impacts, and three case studies.

Advocate for Shutoff Abolition

We believe each and every shutoff–15.1 million in 2024 alone–is inhumane, unnecessary, and threatens lives and wellbeing. Through our participation in public utility commission proceedings, we’ve learned a lot about advocating for shutoff abolition. In 2025, we released our IOU TKO Resource Hub, pulling together resources to share with allies. Here we have collected the pieces of our work focused on shutoffs.

Note: at this time, these resources are only available to frontline organizations and allies. The links below will lead you to a protected google drive. Please request access and drop us a line to let us know who you work for. Access the full IOU TKO Resource Hub here.

Shutoff Abolition IOU TKO Resources

Testimony

Note:  In some cases, we have drawn attention to particular sections of the testimony. In others, our commentary on shutoffs is fairly widespread throughout the testimony and no page numbers are listed. You can also access our full compiled testimony, along with exhibits, rebuttal testimony, etc here.

• Ameren IL (2023) pg 6-10
• People’s Gas (2023) pg 11-28
• DTE Michigan Gas (2024)
• DTE Michigan Electric (2024) 
• DTE Michigan (2025) pg 25-33 for an example of analysis
• Dominion VA (2023)
• Niagara Mohawk NY (2024) pg 50-60, 123-129

In response to our argument that there are no safe shutoffs and shutoffs can result in deaths, we have been asked to provide examples. This table lists news stories from various utilities where shutoffs have resulted in deaths.