Utility costs are among the top issues my office receives calls about. Most of my constituents live within the Con Edison service territory, and Con Ed’s delivery charges have been very concerning as of late. I share these concerns. Here is what my colleagues and I in the State Legislature are doing to rein in utility companies and lower costs.
First, I have joined Governor Kathy Hochul and many others in calling on the Public Service Commission (PSC) to reject Con Ed’s latest request for a rate increase in its entirety. It appears that Con Ed may not realize how unsustainable their rates already are; they are asking to increase our monthly bills again in order to pay for aging gas infrastructure and a higher rate of return on equity for their investors. If you have not already done so, I strongly encourage everyone who has called my office to call Con Edison as well, to help them understand that this request is totally unacceptable.
I am also working with my colleagues to pass legislation that would help us to bring down costs and control future increases. Chief among these is the New York HEAT Act, which would require the PSC to implement their longstanding goal of ensuring that residential gas and electric bills cost no more than 6% of a household’s monthly income. It would also end the obligation to serve gas specifically while maintaining the obligation to serve energy, enabling old, expensive gas infrastructure to be replaced with greener, less expensive options. Con Ed’s current rate case is in large part a request to pass the cost of repairing and expanding gas infrastructure – approximately $2.8 billion over three years – to ratepayers. Under New York HEAT, utilities could pay for less costly neighborhood electrification projects instead.
Other bills seek to limit the costs that utilities pass on to ratepayers. A.4249 would prohibit public utilities from using ratepayer funds to pay for lobbying and political donations. A. 1028 would help constrain costs by requiring public utilities to adopt a common equity ratio and rate of return on equity, reducing pressure to raise rates in order to pay for higher shareholder returns. My office is currently reviewing other pieces of legislation that could help bring costs down, as this is a top priority for me.
In the meantime, if you are having difficulty paying your bills, please feel free to reach out to my office for guidance as you may qualify for government assistance. For an immediate response, my district office can be reached at (914) 941-1111 during regular business hours. Otherwise, the best way to contact my office is through my contact form: https://bit.ly/AD95Contact.
Sincerely,
Dana Levenberg
Member of Assembly, 95th District
