Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As New Yorkers recover from a winter with higher utility bills, state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are coming up with bills to reduce energy costs.
“The Assembly One House budget proposal includes critical affordability measures that will provide short-term and long-term relief from the high utility rates that families across the state are facing right now,” said Assemblymember Didi Barrett. “From rebate checks for ratepayers, a pause on utility assessments, and a freeze on utility rate increases, we are committed to helping lower costs and make New York State more affordable for our families.”
The Assembly’s budget includes relief for New York families through Protecting Out Wallets Energy Rebate (POWER) Checks. Eligible residential ratepayers with incomes below $150,000 would receive a $500 check, while those with incomes between $150,000 and $300,000 would receive a $300 check. Overall, this would provide $2.6 billion in relief to New Yorkers struggling with the rising cost of utility bills.
The proposed budget would include a two-year moratorium on approving new rate cases or implementing already approved rate increases that would result in an increase in electric or gas rates. It would also establish the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Residential Affordability Through Energy Savings (RATES Commission) to study the causes and origins of rising rates and recommend actions to reduce rates.
The proposal would provide $163.3 million in relief to ratepayers across New York State by shifting an existing assessment from ratepayers’ monthly utility bills to the General Fund, including $134.6 million for Department of Public Service operating costs and $28.7 million for NYSERDA operating costs.
Republicans like Pat Chludzinski say they like some of the Democrats' ideas.
"But I don't think it addresses the bigger problem. And our proposal would also address the long term fix of the CLCPA mandates, which are driving up the cost of energy for all of us in Western New York and across the state," said Chludzinski with WBEN. "We need to fix the supply and demand the predicament the state created when they shut down power plants and fully committed to an energy approach that will include natural gas, and that has to be allowed, and we have to have consumer choice on that."
He calls the two-year moratorium on rates a political gimmick.
"Freezing rates now without lowering the cost of production just creates a massive price cliff a couple years down the road," Chludzinski contended. "They propose a Blue Ribbon Commission. We don't need another commission to tell us why prices are high. We already know. We also don't need a new office of the utility consumer advocate that cost millions in taxpayer money."
Chludzinski says the focus has to be an all of the above approach, including the choice of natural gas and lower energy costs.
"It's basic supply and demand. New York state policies have decreased the supply and through their mandates, we've also increased demand, which has caused this price increase that we're all seeing," he said.
He adds breaking down some of the clean energy requirements in CLCPA have to be part of any bill.