New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo (R-53), Assemblyman Brian Miller (R-122) and Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon (D-119) today outlined a multifaceted and comprehensive approach to help New Yorkers challenged by skyrocketing energy costs.

In New York, many residents have experienced double-digit increases in their natural gas and electric bills and pay somewhere between 25 to 28 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Meanwhile, residential customer bills in most of Florida will increase by $2.50 a month, or about 2%, following a recently approved rate increase there. Florida residents pay around 16 cents per kWh.

The approach unveiled by Griffo, Miller and Buttenschon, as part of their ongoing efforts, would provide immediate and long-term relief to New Yorkers and their families. It includes:

• Returning unused funds from the New York State Clean Energy Fund to ratepayers. The Clean Energy Fund was designed to support the state's clean energy transition through targeted investments in innovation, market development and energy efficiency. However, often, funds collected for this purpose remain unused or uncommitted at the end of a fiscal cycle.
• Establishing a one-year utility bill tax and surcharge holiday and a two-year green energy taxholiday.
•  Increasing oversight and improving transparency by holding legislative hearings and conducting audits of utility companies by appropriate state agencies. 
• Granting the Public Service Commission (PSC) the ability to revisit and reconsider past rate increase approvals to address cost-of-living issues.
• Protecting consumer choice by allowing ratepayers to decline the installation of smart meters without being liable for fees.
• Examining the impact of smart meters to determine if there is a correlation between these meters and rising rates and if there are any discrepancies.
• Creating the Ratepayer Relief Act to determine the true cost of CLCPA mandates and provide relief in that amount to ratepayers, as well as cut existing taxes.

Additionally, the legislators called for further exploration and consideration of what other states have done to address this issue.

New Jersey recently declared a state of emergency over utility costs. The governor there signed an executive order that freezes rate hikes, uses existing funds to offset looming electricity bill increases and gives the state’s Board of Public Utilities authority to pause or modify utility actions that could further increase bills.

In Florida, a bill has been introduced that would reform the state’s PSC by requiring the commission’s members to take affordability into account when making rate decisions and would require one commissioner be a certified public accountant and another a chartered financial analyst.

“I have continued to hear from constituents about increasing utility bills and the challenges that result from them,” said Griffo, who recognizes that taxes, decisions made by utility companies and recent energy policies have contributed to rate increases. “This is a real problem, and New Yorkers need action to rein in skyrocketing utility expenses. It is imperative that we consider all options to address this issue and that we think outside of the box to do it. I continue to fight and advocate for essential solutions, including providing relief, increasing oversight and transparency, reducing regulations and mandates and holding utility companies accountable. This is how we can ease the burden felt by so many across the state.”

“We’ve heard directly from constituents, including veterans, seniors on fixed incomes, working families and small business owners, who are struggling with skyrocketing utility bills, and it is clear the status quo is not working,” said Miller. “I am proud to stand with my colleagues today to push for real solutions to rising energy costs and to fight for our families. I have supported calls for the state comptroller to review electric and gas delivery charges and co-sponsored legislation to require utilities to provide clear, itemized bills. This is a New York problem, and our constituents deserve transparency and real relief. We need immediate relief and long-term reforms that provide affordability and fairness for our residents.”

“Our office is hearing from many residents that they are experiencing significant increases in their National Grid bills, and it is more than the standard winter usage increases,” said Buttenschon. “Our constituents and businesses across the state are being sharply impacted by utility bills that are climbing higher and higher every month, leaving families unable to understand, anticipate or manage their monthly utility expenses. This is not sustainable. The residents of the Mohawk Valley deserve answers and a clear path to affordable and reliable energy to meet their needs. Together, my colleagues and I are proposing legislation to hold utility companies accountable and are requesting the comptroller to review delivery rates of gas and electric in investor-owned utilities.”