(Video of the press conference available here.)

White Plains, NY – New York State Assemblymembers Chris Burdick, Dana Levenberg and MaryJane Shimsky joined Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, Chair of the Westchester County Board of Legislators Vedat Gashi and State Senator Shelley Mayer Tuesday for a press conference expressing their opposition to the Joint Proposal filed by Consolidated Edison in its ongoing electric and gas rate cases. 

The officials noted the significant improvements won through elected leaders’ deep involvement in these cases, in which Burdick and Levenberg served as intervenors alongside staff and counsel representing Assemblymember Shimsky, the County Executive, and the County Board of Legislators - a group called the “Westchester Parties.” A large group of Westchester municipalities, called the Westchester Municipal Consortium, also participated in the cases. The Westchester Parties urged the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) to reject the proposal despite the progress made, stating that it still does not go far enough to address affordability and other concerns. 

The Westchester Parties detailed their objections in a joint letter submitted to the PSC. Chief among those objections were concerns about rate hikes. Though the annual delivery rate increases in the current three-year proposal (+4.3%, +5.0%, and +3.3% for electricity and -0.3%, +7.2% and +3.7% for gas) are lower than those originally proposed, many residents are still struggling to afford the current rates passed in 2023. The letter notes that the proposed annual increases in delivery rates still greatly exceed inflation, and recommends a rate closer to the gross domestic product (GDP) deflator. 

The letter is also critical of the joint proposal for setting the rate of return on equity (ROE) for shareholders at 9.4%, noting that the proposed ROE is higher than those approved in other recent rate cases and is unnecessary. “Given the Company’s strong access to capital on favorable terms and strong investor confidence, a much lower ROE would be appropriate under current market conditions,” the officials wrote. 

Senator Mayer joined the Westchester Parties in White Plains to amplify objections to the Joint Proposal before the PSC and highlight pending legislation she sponsors that could alter the course of future rate cases. These include S.1896, which would require utilities to adopt a common equity ratio and rate of return on equity established by the Public Service Commission, preventing utility companies from charging excessive rates simply to pad investors’ returns - directly addressing one of the concerns raised by the Westchester Parties in their letter. (Click here for a full list of related legislation by Senator Mayer.)

“Delivery rates for utility companies in our district are out of control. My office is hearing loudly from constituents whose utility bills have doubled or even tripled in recent years. We got involved in this rate case to fight for our constituents. Although we moved the needle, and the proposed rates are lower than they would be if we hadn't jumped in, the proposed rates are still unaffordable. We are therefore opposing the Joint Proposal before the PSC and calling on the PSC to cut the proposed rates," said Assemblymember Burdick. "We joined this rate case so we could see the entire process firsthand, and to see it through to the end. Our work is not done yet."

“My constituents’ incomes are not going up by 5 or 7 percent every year,” said Assemblymember Levenberg. “I have constituents calling my office to tell me that they are shivering in their homes because they are being forced to choose between turning up the thermostat and paying for medication. As much as I would like to celebrate the progress we made by putting up such a fight during these cases, the fact remains that Con Ed is still trying to get blood from a stone with these increases. It’s unsustainable.”

"There is no light at the end of the tunnel for Con Edison customers, when the increases in their utility costs continue to exceed inflation,” said Assemblymember Shimsky. “This was our top concern when becoming intervenors in the rate cases last spring, and it is why we object to the joint proposal now advanced by Con Ed to the PSC. The process also revealed the heavier cost burden carried by ratepayers in Westchester, compared with their New York City counterparts, which the PSC's review process failed to address. I will continue to advocate for lower costs and a system that treats our residents with fairness."

“At the heart of this issue are the residents of Westchester who are just trying to keep the lights on - seniors on fixed incomes, families balancing multiple jobs and small business owners fighting to stay afloat,” said County Executive Jenkins. “Even with the improvements these proposed increases still place too heavy a burden on people who are already stretched thin. Our residents should not be asked to shoulder higher Con Ed bills while shareholders receive guaranteed returns that exceed what’s reasonable. We are urging the Public Service Commission to put consumers first, reject this proposal, and require a plan that truly protects the financial well-being of the people we serve.”

“It is promising that the collective efforts of the Board of Legislators, our state representatives, County Executive, and countless residents persuaded Con Edison to lower its original proposal. But reduced rate hikes are not the same as affordable rates,” said Chairman Gashi. “Families are juggling bills they can't cover. Seniors are choosing between staying warm and staying fed. Small businesses are hemorrhaging money on utility costs. These continued increases turn struggle into catastrophe. We won’t stand for it.”

“I applaud my colleagues in the Assembly, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, and the Westchester County Board of Legislators for standing up for New Yorkers and urging the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) to reject the woefully insufficient joint proposal by the parties,” said Senator Mayer. “While this proposal is an improvement on ConEd’s original filing, given the depth of the crisis, it does not go far enough for members of our community and it minimizes lived experiences of New Yorkers and their voices in a way I cannot accept. I proudly stand with my colleagues today, and have indicated my strong opposition to this proposed settlement in a letter to the PSC, which was filed on November 18. That letter reasserts my strong opposition to this proposal.”