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Utilities defend negotiated settlements, cite large infrastructure backlogs and affordability programs
Summary
Major utilities told legislators that settlement agreements and rate cases are tools to protect reliability and affordability while funding grid modernization and clean‑energy programs. National Grid, National Fuel, Central Hudson, NYSEG/RG&E and others described heavy cost pressures from aging infrastructure, storm recovery and property taxes and
Representatives of major utilities told the Senate joint committee that settlements, when negotiated with many parties, can deliver affordability and programmatic outcomes not easily obtainable through litigated one‑year rate cases.
Chris Kiefer, assistant general counsel for National Grid, summarized his company’s most recent joint proposal outcomes: the settlement trimmed more than $1 billion of the electricity and gas capital requests from the original filing, included roughly $290,000,000 in targeted bill credits and expanded outreach and assistance programs, and enabled multibillion‑dollar investments in safety, reliability and grid modernization. Kiefer said settlements allowed the company and 14 parties to accept a package that smoothed rate impacts and established affordability protections; he defended confidentiality in negotiation as a practical tool used under PSC settlement…
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