Westchester and state lawmakers are sharply criticizing the New York State Public Service Commission’s decision to approve multi-year Con Edison rate increases, saying the move ignores the financial strain already hitting families, seniors, and small businesses across the region. 

In a joint statement released Thursday, Jan. 22, State Sen. Shelley Mayer, joined by Sens. Robert Jackson and Nathalia Fernandez, Assemblymembers Chris Burdick, Dana Levenberg, and MaryJane Shimsky, and New York City Council Member Harvey Epstein, said the PSC “failed to uphold its duty to protect ratepayers.”

The criticism followed the Commission’s approval of a three-year electric and gas rate plan for Con Edison, which regulators said significantly reduced the utility’s original request while keeping increases near the rate of inflation. 

Commission Chair Rory M. Christian said the approved joint proposal reduced Con Edison’s initial request by nearly 87 percent and includes $156.5 million in efficiency savings, deferred capital projects, and expanded affordability protections.

The Commission said the plan was supported or not opposed by 17 parties, including consumer advocates, environmental groups, the City of New York, and large customers. Under the approved proposal, electric revenue increases average about 2.8 percent per year, while gas increases average about 2.0 percent per year, with additional discounts and protections for eligible low-income customers. 

Despite the support from these groups, lawmakers said the plan would put residents in a difficult financial decision. 

“The consequences of this decision are devastatingly real,” the lawmakers said in their joint statement, warning that residents will be forced to choose between heat, healthcare, rent, and food as utility bills continue to climb.

Lawmakers said they have been raising alarms about rising utility bills for more than a year, pushing legislation and organizing residents to oppose what they describe as an unfair and opaque rate-setting process. They accused the PSC of dismissing public comments from tens of thousands of New Yorkers and prioritizing shareholder interests over ratepayer protections. 

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins also condemned the decision, calling it deeply disappointing almost two weeks after he first urged the Commission to reconsider Con Edison’s proposed rate increases, as Daily Voice previously reported. 

"Families, seniors, and small businesses across Westchester County are already stretched to their breaking point as utility bills have skyrocketed," Jenkins said on Thursday, adding, "This decision ignores the very real affordability crisis facing our communities and forces residents to make impossible choices between paying rent, buying groceries, or keeping the lights on."

However, Commission Chair Christian said the decision "is in the public interest." 

"It is a forward-looking plan that benefits customers and includes provisions that further important state and Commission objectives, while keeping customer affordability first and foremost in mind," Christian continued.

Still, Mayer and other elected officials vowed to keep fighting the decision. 

"We will continue to fight alongside our colleagues in the Legislature, and the Governor, using every legislative tool available to protect New Yorkers and to hold both utilities and regulators accountable," the lawmakers said on Thursday, adding, "The public deserves better, and we will not stop demanding it."

The approved rates will affect more than 3.6 million electric customers and 1.1 million gas customers served by Con Edison in New York City and Westchester County.