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President Donald Trump, as part of his campaign pitch to “make America affordable again,” promised to cut Americans’ electricity bills by at least half. But it hasn’t worked.
“You’re getting $1,300 to $1,500 bills for electric. And West Virginia has decided that they’re going to run on coal for at least 2040,” said Caitlin Ware, a pastor at Sandyville United Methodist Church.
And many in West Virginia are now facing utility costs surpassing rents and mortgages. Anthony Crihfield Jones, owner of the overstock retail shop, JCD Bargain and Trading, pays “$1,218.67, yeah, for one building,” he said.
Electricity has increased 4.8 percent in February nationwide, and piped natural gas prices rose 10.9 percent compared with a year earlier, outpacing overall inflation. “You don’t have a choice when it comes to electric and water. And so, you know, you can’t decide to just not have electric for that month,” said Ware.
Many downtowns across the country have struggled to bounce back since the pandemic. And the rising electricity prices have made it impossible for some small businesses to survive. “We’re seeing businesses lock up, you know, businesses are closing,” said Ware.
Heather Santee’s local bakery, in Ravenswood, West Virginia, was among those that did not survive the brutal winter and high electric bills.
“I try to stay so positive. And look toward the future, you know, and bigger plans. But sometimes it’s just so sad, you know, walking down there, seeing it,” said Santee, who closed her shop on February 12.
“I was getting ready, like I had a bunch of stuff made up and everything, and was getting ready for Valentine’s Day because holidays were $700 to $1,000 days. So, I would have had the money if I could have just got two days. Just two days,” she said.
But coal remains king in West Virginia, a state that relies on aging coal-powered electric plants more than any other.
It is an outlier nationwide because of its resistance to adopting cleaner, cheaper sources of energy such as natural gas, nuclear power, and renewables like wind and solar.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.