Is there any chance of a government step in, similar to a bailout for the companies but maybe being more justified because it's assisting low-income houses that were challenged during COVID and keeping the utilities running smoothly, something that's integral to daily life (much more so than some other companies that have seen government bailouts)

Patrick, no doubt some consumers have abused moratoria by using excessive amounts of electricity during the pandemic, believing payment for it would never come due. An optimal solution, IMO, would have the federal government offering relief based on a percentage of the average per/kWh consumption of U.S. residential electricity customers before the pandemic, multiplied by their local residential rate.

Extending the most debt forgiveness to those who use the least amount of electricity, to me, seems like the most socially equitable arrangement. But from ten different people you'll get ten different answers.

Excellent topic Patrick. I used to believe local generation could solve some of that - i.e., local markets - but at the end of the day operating costs will drive that imbalance anyway. Regulations were supposed to keep this in check. Maybe power marketing administrations (PMAs) such as SWPA can pick up that slack and address the cost/service without continent and utility-wide mass regulation?