Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rate Case topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission hears six-month PSC rate order update and explains local request for attorney-general probe
Summary
Sustainability staff summarized a temporary Public Service Commission order granting a six-month residential delivery increase and said the commission supports continued participation in rate proceedings; staff also described a council resolution asking the state attorney general to investigate Avangrid/Iberdrola financial practices.
Sustainability staff updated the Ithaca City Sustainability & Climate Justice Commission on the status of a recent utility rate proceeding and a related local resolution asking for outside investigation. Staff said the New York Public Service Commission opted not to grant a longer multi-year rate increase requested by the utilities and instead authorized a temporary six-month rate increase — "2% for residential electric delivery and 1.7% for residential gas delivery," staff said — while the parties continue to negotiate and the process restarts.
Staff characterized the PSC order as both an opening for rate-design innovation and a potential accelerator of "rate compression," where delayed increases can create sharper short-term price jumps. Commissioners discussed advocacy priorities the city might pursue in the rate case: a dedicated heat-pump rate that reduces costs for heat-pump customers, reforms to shut-off notices and customer protections, and better interconnection for renewables and demand-response measures. Staff said local governments can join the rate case as parties (subject to an NDA) and that coordinated city–county participation might conserve staff resources.
Separately, staff described a council-passed resolution asking the state attorney general to examine financial ties between the utility (referred to in discussion as Avangrid) and its parent company (referred to as Iberdrola). The resolution, staff said, focuses on whether the utility demonstrated adequate financial "ring-fencing" from its parent and whether public claims aligned with filings during the rate case. "That's what the resolution was requesting," staff said, and they encouraged other local governments to consider similar measures to increase pressure on state authorities.
Commissioners did not take a formal vote in the meeting to endorse additional action but discussed outreach to other municipalities and possible next steps to support consumer protections and advocacy in the ongoing rate proceedings.
