Queens pols urge state regulators to
reject Con Edison’s proposed rate hikes
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | DEC. 20-26, 2019 23
BY BILL PARRY
A growing number of elected
officials and advocates from
Queens and the city are calling
on the state’s Public Service
Commission (PSC) to reject Con
Edison’s proposed rate hike,
which will raise electricity rates
over the next three years by
a compounded 16 percent and
gas rates 25 percent for cooking
customers and 34 percent for
heating customers.
The rate hike, which the PSC
is expected to vote on at its January
meeting, doesn’t sit well with
the chairman of the City Council’s
Committee on Environmental
Protection, a frequent critic of
Con Edison.
“Whether it was the Astoria
Borealis or the complete failure
during this summer’s heat
wave, Con Edison has clearly
demonstrated it’s not fit for the
job of providing New Yorkers reliable
power,” City Councilman
Costa Constantinides said. “On
top of those shortcomings, this
for-profit utility wants nearly
$700 million in rate hikes off the
backs of hard-working people already
struggling to pay the bills,
all so they can marryus to ore
fossil fuel infrastructure for generations
to come. I hope the PSC
hears the voice of New Yorkers
who are tired of this disservice
and instead focuses on ways in
which we can transition to clean
renewable energy.”
Advocates argue the rate hike
invests hundreds of millions of
ratepayer dollars in fracked gas
infrastructure each year, which
advocates say will soon become
stranded assets as city and state
climate laws are implemented.
“Con Ed’s plan to invest almost
a billion ratepayer dollars
a year in fracked gas infrastructure
fails the climate test,” said
Lee Zieche with Sane Energy
Project, a member of Renewable
Heat Now Campaign. “And it’s
shameful New York City and the
New York Department of Public
Services have signed off on this
plan that will invest our hard
earned money in stranded fossil
fuel assets. If the PSC is really
acting in the public interest they
will reject this plan.”
City Councilman Eric Ulrich
submitted written testimony in
opposition to the proposed rate
hike arguing that they are far
above the rate of inflation and
would make it difficult for seniors
and individuals living on
a fixed income to cover the cost
of utilities.
“There is no rhyme or reason
behind the company’s proposed
hikes other than to extract more
money from hardworking New
Yorkers,” Ulrich said.
Public Advocate Jumaane
Williams said Con Edison has
demonstrated an inability to consistently
power the city at times
putting New Yorkers in danger
by leaving them in the dark during
all-too-frequent blackouts.
“The company cannot ask for
a rate hike and give neither adequate
electricity nor adequate
answers, and I strongly oppose
the proposed increase,” Williams
said.
Con Edison offered a defense
of its proposed rate hikes in a
statement.
“We believe that the joint
agreement is essential in helping
New York State achieve its
clean energy goals,” the statement
says. “In addition to investing
$3 billion each year to make
the grid safer and more reliable,
the plan helps encourage
alternatives to fossil fuels with
incentives and rebates for geothermal
heat pumps, appliances,
and electric vehicle chargers. It
provides $700 million over the
next three years for energy efficiency
programs that are some
of the most effective ways for
customers to reduce bills.”
Clean energy advocates sound off against Con Edison’s proposed rate
hikes, saying it fails the climate test. Photo by Erik McGregor
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