Albany, NY – Assemblymember Gabriella Romero (D, WFP–Albany, Guilderland, New Scotland) joined over a dozen Upstate Assemblymembers urging Governor Kathy Hochul to pass several reforms that will help New Yorkers save money on their utility bills.

With the current energy affordability crisis and recent utility rate increases, New Yorkers in the Capital Region and across the state are struggling with high utility costs. Over one million households are behind on their utility bills by 60 days or more as of December 2025, and families continue to struggle with the recent sub-zero temperatures.

To address this, legislators are calling for a variety of solutions in a letter to Governor Hochul. These include pausing state taxes on utility bills, returning unused clean energy funds to ratepayers, and increasing the share of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) funding that reduces costs for ratepayers. They also advocate for legislation that would return excess revenues above a utility’s approved return on equity to ratepayers (bill A.8150) and create an Office of Energy and Equity and an Energy Affordability Fund (bill A.9621).

Assemblymember Gabriella Romero:

“No one should ever have to choose between buying groceries and heating their home. I am pushing for these commonsense reforms alongside my upstate colleagues because our constituents deserve better, and they need real relief. These solutions are about keeping New Yorkers’ hard-earned money in their own pockets and ensuring that we are prioritizing affordability for ratepayers over profits for utility companies. Utility bills should not feel like a second rent check. They should be predictable, fair, and affordable. I am committed to fighting for a better, more equitable system for working families in my district and across the state.”