New York State Public Service Commission
Empire State Plaza
Agency Building 3
Albany, NY 12223-1350
Dear Commissioners Acampora, Harris, Curry and Buley:
Our constituents have spoken out strongly for you to reject Consolidated Edison’s request to raise the electricity costs of residential customers. Con Edison customers are already facing incredibly high electricity costs that are constantly on the upswing. In light of this, our constituents demand that the PSC place greater importance on the needs of customers than the needs of Con Edison’s shareholders by denying the company’s proposal to increase rates 17% for residents and 12% for businesses.
The PSC launched an investigation into Con Edison’s service quality and system maintenance after last summer’s damaging Queens blackout. Con Edison compounded the devastation of the blackout with an inadequate assessment of why the blackout occurred and an ineffective emergency response that left hundreds of thousands of people in the dark for over a week. In addition, Con Edison’s continued unacceptable amount of electrified hotspots throughout New York City exposes an additional problem – the company’s consistent lack of concern for the safety of all New Yorkers.
Con Edison’s customers pay some of the highest electric rates in the nation, impairing the ability of small businesses to compete effectively in their industry and severely restricting economic development opportunities to attract new businesses to the area.
While the aforementioned blunders should be enough to reject Con Edison’s outrageous rate hike, the PSC should also consider the devastating impact on the nearly 9 million New Yorkers whose household budgets are under constant pressure from ever-increasing energy costs. This daunting strain also holds true for the countless businesses who can’t afford another hit to their budgets. The only responsible thing to do is reject Con Edison’s proposed rate hike.
If you have any questions regarding this issue, feel free to contact any of our district offices.
Assemblyman Michael Cusick – (718) 370-1384
Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer – (718) 667-5891
Assemblyman Matthew Titone – (718) 442-9932
We intend to monitor this proceeding as it moves forward and await a decision from you that prioritizes the needs of the customer in the final decision.
Sincerely,
Michael Cusick
Member of Assembly Janele Hyer-Spencer
Member of Assembly Matthew Titone
Member of Assembly