Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins was one of the elected officials who testified July 9 at the in-person New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. The PSC held two hearing sessions at the County Center on July 9, following two sessions at the Cortlandt Town Hall on July 8.
Jenkins voiced the county’s strong opposition to proposed rate increases by Con Edison. The hearing provided other Westchester officials and county residents with the opportunity to speak on the record and either support Con Ed’s rate hike requests for electricity and gas or oppose them and demand accountability from the utility giant.
Jenkins, who previously testified at a virtual PSC hearing, has been a vocal critic of the proposed hikes. He recently signed legislation that was unanimously passed by the bipartisan Westchester County Board of Legislators officially making Westchester a party to the state’s major rate case against Con Edison.
Jenkins said, “The proposed Con Edison rate increases are unfair, unaffordable and unacceptable. Families across Westchester are being pushed to the breaking point. Seniors on fixed incomes, working parents and small business owners cannot afford to pay more for an essential service while wages stay flat and inflation rises. Forcing people to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table is simply wrong.”
Jenkins emphasized that while he supports investment in reliable infrastructure and clean energy, such progress must not come at the expense of affordability.
About a half hour before the afternoon hearing began at 1 p.m., AARP’s New York office organized a demonstration in front of the County Center to express opposition to the Con Ed hikes that would raise the cost of gas and electricity by about $2 billion.
.AARP noted that it represents nearly 400,000 Westchester County residents over the age of 50.
Con Ed’s rate case filed at the beginning of this year is seeking to increase electric delivery rates by approximately $1.6 billion and natural gas delivery by about $440 million. This proposed rate increase would raise average gas bills by about $46 a month and electrical bills by $27 a month. Con Ed’s rates are already among the highest in the country.
“There are millions of older New Yorkers living in Con Edison’s service area, including nearly 800,000 AARP New York members, and many of them are on moderate, low or fixed incomes,” AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel said. “AARP strongly believes the PSC should reject the Con Ed proposal and work with all the stakeholders to bring the rate increase down to a significantly more manageable level.”
AARP cited the PSC’s latest figures on residential customers in arrears, 377,000 households in Con Edison’s service territory that includes New York City and Westchester County were 60 days or more behind on their monthly bills as of May. The total amount owed to the utility by those in arrears was $845 million. Meanwhile, nearly 120,000 households owing more than $200 million received final termination of service notices in May.
At the pre-hearing gathering State Sen. Shelley Mayer said, “The Public Service Commission has the opportunity to do the right thing for New York consumers and reject entirely Con Edison’s rate hike proposal, and I call on them to do so. Day after day, I hear from my constituents who are doing all they can to reduce their usage, yet their utility bills are increasing well beyond inflation, their incomes or Social Security.”
Mayer pointed out that she has sponsored a number of pieces of legislation to prevent utility companies from recovering high corporate salaries from ratepayers and to rein in the profits utilities are allowed to make.
Another participant, Assemblymember Chris Burdick said, “My constituents, especially seniors on fixed incomes, are reeling from the spike in their utility bills that often force them to make the unacceptable choice between paying their rent or paying their utilities. I have called upon the Public Service Commission to reject these increases and direct Con Ed to go back to the drawing board.”
Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky chimed in, “I urge the New York Public Service Commission to honor their obligation to ensure ‘access to safe, reliable utility service at just and reasonable rates,’ and deny Con Ed’s application.”
Vedat Gashi, chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators said, “We are drawing a line in the sand against these excessive rate hikes that would devastate older Westchester residents struggling with rising costs. With thousands of older adults already months behind on their Con Ed bills and many facing termination notices, these proposed increases are appalling.”
Also on hand was White Plains Mayor Tom Roach who represented a consortium of 40 Westchester municipalities opposing the Con Ed rate hikes.
“Con Edison’s electric and gas rates are already among the highest in New York State and the nation, and they continue to rise faster than inflation,” Roach said. “By forming this consortium, 40 Westchester municipalities are unified in urging the Public Service Commission to take a hard look at the exorbitant rates proposed by Con Edison, and to also determine whether our residents are unfairly subsidizing the high costs of service in New York City.”
