Rep. Tom Suozzi blasts ‘unreasonable’ Con Ed rate hikes of up to 19%

Lengthy Island Rep. Tom Suozzi blasted Con Edison for plans to hike electrical energy and pure gasoline charges subsequent yr.
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Lengthy Island Rep. Tom Suozzi is blasting Con Edison for its “unreasonable” plans to hike utility payments for its 3.5 million prospects within the New York metropolitan space by as a lot as 19% subsequent yr.

“New Yorkers have already got a few of the costliest electrical and gasoline payments within the nation,” Suozzi, the Democrat who's launching a long-shot bid for the get together nomination for governor this yr, wrote in a letter to Con Ed obtained by The Publish.

“Asking my constituents to swallow a dramatic, single yr improve to their electrical and gasoline invoice is unreasonable after they already pay practically 50% greater than the common U.S. family.”

Final week, Con Ed mentioned that it might submit its funding plan for 2023 to the New York State Public Service Fee.

The utility is asking state regulators for permission to hike residents’ electrical payments by 11.2%, whereas gasoline would price a whopping 18.2% extra beginning subsequent yr.

The corporate says that the hikes are essential with a view to fund “investments in clear vitality, in addition to infrastructure upgrades that can assist maintain prospects in service throughout extreme climate.”

The utility which supplies electrical and gasoline service to three.5 million New Yorkers in and across the metropolis says the speed hikes are wanted to put money into upgrading its infrastructure.

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Suozzi informed the Publish that he helps transitioning to inexperienced vitality, however native utilities shouldn’t have the ability to go on the fee to shoppers with out the federal authorities stepping in and serving to ease the monetary burden.

“I’m an enormous environmentalist,” the previous Nassau County government informed The Publish. “But when New York continues to go by itself with out the assistance of federal coverage, we’re going to see rising charges like this and that’s going to chase folks out of the state they usually’re going to pollute some other place.”

He mentioned there wanted to be a “steadiness” between addressing environmental points in a approach that wouldn’t “crush” rate-payers.

Suozzi, a centrist Democrat who serves on the Home Methods and Means Committee, informed Con Ed that the corporate’s proposed fee hikes are “troublesome to justify” provided that “the corporate studies annual earnings of $1 billion plus following earlier fee will increase.”

Suozzi has launched a long-shot bid to unseat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for the Democratic Get together’s nomination.

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The lawmaker mentioned that New York Metropolis’s “lagging financial restoration from the pandemic will proceed to have a disproportionate influence on essentially the most susceptible and people with the least means to swallow rising prices for electrical energy and gasoline.”

The Publish has sought remark from Con Ed in response to Suozzi’s letter.

ConEd, which provides electrical energy, pure gasoline, and steam to three.5 million prospects in New York Metropolis and Westchester County, will ask prospects to pay extra in order that it may use an extra $1.2 billion in income to improve its electrical supply system and $500 million extra to enhance its gasoline distribution.

ConEd says it plans to put money into renewable vitality, together with electrical automobiles and clear warmth that can cut back its carbon footprint by 2.4 million metric tons over the subsequent three years.