Skoufis and Mayer call for overhaul of ‘failed’ Public Service Commission

In the wake of the State Public Service Commission’s approval of electric and gas rates for the next three years for Orange and Rockland Utilities customers, Senators James Skoufis (D, Cornwall) and Shelley Mayer (D, White Plains) are calling for an “immediate overhaul” of the commission.

The lawmakers said their push comes after the March 20 announcement by the PSC that it “patted itself on the back” for approving O&R delivery rates that are “much less than initially requested.”

The state agency has come under fire for approving rate increases for O&R, Central Hudson, NYSEG and other utilities across the state.

“Enough is enough: the time to overhaul the PSC is now,” said Skoufis, chairman of the Senate Investigations & Government Operations Committee. “The commission continues to exercise little more than a wrist-slap for greedy utility companies: at the same time that O&R is crying poverty to the PSC, they’re reporting corporate returns of seven percent to 10 percent,” he said. “I’ sick and tired of watching my constituents be taken for a ride by these fat cats, and the legislature must act now to protect consumers.”

“The Public Service Commission is failing to meet its responsibility to set delivery rates for gas, electric and other regulated utilities that are ‘fair, just, and reasonable,’” said Mayer. “If the PSC cannot fulfill its primary responsibility, it must be held accountable and work towards a solution that prioritizes New Yorkers’ rights to stable utility rates that are as low as possible.”