Letters to Governors Urging Moratoriums on Utility Shut-Offs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

For decades, LDF has been committed to ensuring all communities have access to safe and affordable water. The COVID-19 outbreak is an unprecedented public health crisis, and water—while always crucial for Black communities—is especially necessary to prevent the virus from spreading further. 

Today, LDF sent letters to the governors of multiple states requesting water service restoration to previously disconnected customers and statewide moratoriums on water shutoffs. The letters urge each state’s governor to act immediately to protect vulnerable water customers facing extreme distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letters also assert LDF’s concern for the health and safety of Black people who reside in these states. National and state data have shown that Black people are dying of COVID-19 at a disproportionate rate, and a 2019 report from LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute concluded that water shutoffs disproportionately impact Black populations. A statewide proclamation halting water shutoffs and restoring water service will ensure that all state residents have access to the basic hygiene necessary during this period.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, LDF has sent similar letters to the National Governors Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and has called on state and local governments to address the many challenges associated with the current crisis, including water access. 

Read LDF’s letters to state governors to date below: