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Legislator says community action helped reduce proposed Con Edison rate hikes
Summary
Nancy Barr said municipal testimony and participation in a state Public Service Commission rate case helped pare proposed Con Edison increases from double digits to single digits and urged state legislative changes to alter rate formulas.
County Legislator Nancy Barr described coordinated local action in the state Public Service Commission (PSC) rate case over Con Edison charges, saying municipalities and legislators submitted testimony and held hearings to press for lower increases. "We testified at PSC hearings," she said, and "the double digit increases that had been proposed were... negotiated down to single digits."
Barr characterized Con Edison as effectively a monopoly and argued for stronger regulation of its allowed rate of return. "It's a monopoly," she said, adding that the company has been allowed a 10% range for return that she called "pretty high." She noted the county supported state legislation championed by State Senator Shelley Mayer to change how rates are set.
Barr framed the local effort as both direct participation in the regulatory process and support for legislative fixes at the state level. She said the county and local officials encouraged residents to testify and that having a better public understanding of how rates are determined gives state legislators the information needed to pursue statutory changes. Any change would require passage by both houses of the state legislature and the governor's signature, she said.
