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ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)— New Yorkers saw an increase in their utility bills after a rate hike, approved by the Public Service Commission, went into effect last month.
“By law, the Public Service Commission and its staff must look after the profitability of utilities as well as ensure rates are fair,” explained Russ Haven, General Counsel for NYPIRG. “That creates an inherent tension. To address this conflict, many states have established independent offices to just represent rate payers.”
Haven, along with members of AARP, want New York to do the same. At the Capitol, they called on Governor Hochul to sign legislation that would create the state Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate. They believe the new office would stand up for consumers during process that determines rate hikes.
“There are only a few consumer groups,” said Bill Ferris, AARP’s Legislative Representative. “AARP is at the table sometimes, NYPIRG is at the table, Public Utility Law Project is at the table, but it’s really run by the big utilities and the big industrial users. We think it’s unfair. It’s an uneven playing field.”
We reached out to the Public Service Commission, but they do not comment on pending legislation.
In a statement, Central Hudson said in-part, “Adding an additional government entity that duplicates the services provided by existing agencies would come at an additional cost to either taxpayers or ratepayers with no clear indication of the benefits that will be provided.”
While the bill has been vetoed before, advocates are hoping Hochul will sign it. They delivered 4,000 letters of support to the Executive Chamber.
In the interim, there are others means of help when it comes to covering costs. National Grid shared details on one of the ways to do that.
“For our most vulnerable customers, that includes taking advantage of funding through the federal government through the Home Energy Assistance Program, typically known as HEAP,” said Kimberly Ireland, Eastern New York Director of External Affairs for National Grid. “National Grid customers who are eligible for HEAP also qualify for additional discounts and services through our energy affordability program and other billing and payment options.”
We reached out to National Grid for a comment on the utility consumer advocate bill, but have not yet gotten a response.
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Jamie DeLine
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