Utility bills resume as moratorium ends

OLYMPIA — Protection from having electricity, water, natural gas, sewer service from being shut off ends on Sept. 30.

An emergency measure proclamation by Gov. Jay Inslee was to ease the financial pressure of people who lost their jobs during the COVID shelter-in-place period of the pandemic.

“This moratorium has provided hundreds of thousands of Washington families’ much-needed peace of mind during the pandemic, and now utility companies are eager and ready to help their customers make a plan that keeps their services on,” Inslee said.

As it ends, the state expects the return of needing to pa...