A number of utility providers serving the Salem area are forgoing turning off service for families struggling to pay their bills after a group of Oregon lawmakers urged the state utility commission to take action.

State Sen. Deb Patterson and 17 other legislators wrote to the Oregon Public Utility Commission Nov. 7 urging it to take action to protect Oregonians who were struggling to pay their bills as a result of the federal government shutdown, which ended Wednesday.

That request led to voluntary action from most of Oregon’s large utilities, including Portland General Electric, Pacific Power and NW Natural, who pledged to halt utility shutoffs through the end of the year for customers who are medically vulnerable or who qualify based on income.

Patterson told Salem Reporter in an inte

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