RAINELLE, W.Va. (AP) — Every month, Rebecca Michalski takes a deep breath before opening her electric bill. She lives on a fixed income, and heating her small house this winter has been staggering: Her February charge was $940.08 — more than her check.
It makes no sense. She turns the lights off during the day and only burns one lamp with an energy-efficient bulb in the living room at night, but she keeps falling further behind on payments. In desperation, she took out a loan after getting a cut-off notice during an extended arctic blast that kept the state’s heaters cranking when temperatures regularly dipped below zero.
“Every time you see that power bill, you’re just sick,” Michalski said, rifling through a stack of statements totaling thousands of dollars. “I already know before I open it. I just dread seeing how much.”
She’s taken to social media, demanding answers alongside thousands of other West Virginians who have been posting screenshots of their monthly charges. They are angry and perplexed over soaring utility costs that are surpassing rents and mortgages in one of the most energy-rich, yet poorest, corners of America, where some families have been forced to choose between paying for food or heat.
President Donald Trump, as part of his campaign pitch to “make America affordable again,” promised to cut Americans’ electricity bills by half during his first year to 18 months in the White House.
It hasn’t worked out. Instead, electricity increased 4.8% in February nationwide and piped natural gas prices rose 10.9%, both compared with a year earlier, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index. That surpassed inflation even before rising conflicts abroad sent energy prices soaring.
“It’s breaking me. And there’s nothing that can be done for it unless the president does something,” Michalski lamented, expressing her frustration regarding the inability of politicians to stem the rising tide of bills. “I don’t see him doing it.”
Increased demand, extreme weather, and outdated infrastructure are among the factors pushing bills higher. Even as the Trump administration touts deregulation and expanded coal production, many residents are left wondering why their energy bills continue to rise while they sit atop vast coal reserves.
For many low-income families like Michalski’s, the prospect of high energy costs looms large over every budget decision. Unable to afford the rising rates combined with other living expenses, many are turning to governmental assistance programs, but many are finding the qualifications leave them short of help.
The struggle for affordable energy has also become a focal point for politicians as elections approach, with rising costs becoming a key issue in upcoming campaigns. Residents are hopeful that their voices will be heard in the halls of power as the demand for affordable utility expenses continues to rise.
