Hinchey Statement on Central Hudson and National Grid Rate Increases

Look around us, affordability is the number one issue, regardless of red or blue, upstate or downstate, and the PSC just greenlit significant increases to everyone’s utility bills in our region — with Central Hudson and National Grid — while giving corporate executives millions of dollars in bonuses. The PSC, because of the system at large, has increased costs for every day New Yorkers, without significant benefits in return, and helped pad the pockets of the company and its shareholders. What are we doing? This system isn’t working, which is why we are fighting to pass legislation that stops utilities from using ratepayer money to pad executive salaries, mandates yearly oversight of utility profit margins to help prevent unjustified rate hikes, and requires by law that the PSC’s core mission in every rate case and all duties before them is ratepayer affordability and placing consumer interests first, not the corporation. This package must be our priority, in both Chambers, on the first day of the next session.