Sabrina Davis, is the lead organizer of environment and transit at the Coalition for Social Justice and a resident of Fall River. Cindy Luppi is the New England director of Clean Water Action.

As the economic and public health consequences of the pandemic continue to reverberate in Fall River and across the Commonwealth, one thing is clear: Once again, Black and brown communities, and communities with a higher percentage of low- and moderate-income households, are bearing a disproportionate burden of its devastation. We need to use this moment of crisis to take a hard look at the systems and solutions that will be critical to helping all of our communities recover and rebuild.

This is particularly important when it comes to how we consume energy in our homes. A recent study found that economic hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic could force as many as 20% of families nationwide who are already in a precarious financial position to take on significant debt from unpaid energy bills that soared during a summer with prolonged periods of extreme heat.

One of the solutions at our disposal in Massachusetts is energy efficiency, which can significantly reduce utility bills and create healthier and more resilient communities. And for nearly a decade, Massachusetts has been celebrated as the top-ranked state in the nation for our energy efficiency programs. But beneath these accolades are data that show deep gaps between communities that benefit the most and the least from the states programs.

The MassSave program, administered by the state's utilities, provides efficiency upgrades and incentives -- such as heat pumps, high efficiency central air conditioning systems, and smart thermostats -- to help households reduce energy costs and fight climate change by reducing their carbon footprint. Renters and homeowners contribute to MassSave through a monthly fee on their utility bills, and overall, the program plays a vital role in helping energy consumers save money and the state meet its obligations to fight climate change. These programs also reduce the energy we use from power plants which in turn reduces the pollution that damages our lung health and contributes to asthma incidence and even premature death.

But studies also show a critical flaw in the program: benefits are not reaching all of our communities. A recent report commissioned by the utilities shows that MassSave participation rates in some Gateway Cities are as low as 6%, while participation in more affluent communities can be up to seven times higher. Recently, Mary Wambui, a member of the states Energy Efficiency Advisory Council which provides oversight of the states programs, decried this imbalance, writing business as usual is failing our communities both the utilities and the state have a responsibility to ensure that all communities can access these benefits equally.

Here in Fall River the report found a participation rate of only 6%, tied for the lowest in the state. Due to a chronic lack of investment, will and intentional policies to remedy these gaps by the utilities and the Baker Administration, lower and moderate income residents receive fewer benefits despite contributing a greater share of their income. The good news is that, as the administration approaches its next 3-year plan, there are things we can do right now to take an already strong initiative and make it truly equitable.

For over 10 years, our organizations and partners in the statewide Green Justice Coalition have called for real attention to this inequity which denies low income and communities of color meaningful access to these programs. For the current three year plan which began in 2019, members of the states Energy Efficiency Advisory Council unanimously approved a solution that specifically addressed the needs of renters. This was an exciting advance which proposed an incentive bonus for utilities to encourage increased service to renters, a tool that would help expand services for low income residents and non-English speakers among others. Despite support from all corners for this new approach, the Department of Public Utilities killed the program unilaterally and with complete disregard for the needs of a big percentage of our states population.

In the short term, as so many continue to work from home or are out of work because of the pandemic, the MassSave program must do everything it can, before the beginning of winter, to help people in all communities invest in efficient heating through technology like efficient heat pumps.

Long term, we need to chart a different course to inform the next three year plan at all levels of government. Instead of turning a blind eye to the needs of our most vulnerable residents, we need to center them. We call on the Governor and his state agencies to reject any plan that fails to create real access to energy efficiency programs for residents here in Fall River and others like us across the state.

As we recover and rebuild from the crisis, Massachusetts must commit to an equitable long-term strategy that ensures that all communities reap the cost-saving and public health benefits of energy efficiency. Only then can we truly live up to our No. 1 ranking.

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OPINION: Creating equal access to energy efficiency crucial for cities like Fall River - Fall River Herald News