‘We need relief, not excuses’: Officials and customers slam proposed NYSEG rate hikes

BEDFORD, N.Y. - Earlier this week, State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick were joined by County Legislator Erika Pierce, Bedford Deputy Supervisor Stephanie McCaine, and a contingent of utility customers to urge New York’s Public Service Commission (PSC) to rein in rate hikes proposed by New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG).

The group, gathered at Bedford Town Hall on Monday, Feb. 16, claimed that utility bills are already unaffordable.

“New Yorkers are facing a cost-of-living crisis,” said Harckham. “At a time when families are struggling to pay rent, buy groceries, and afford medicine, imposing dramatic utility rate hikes is not the answer. The PSC must stand with consumers, not approve massive increases that most households simply cannot afford.”

According to a joint statement issued by Senator Harckham and Assemblymember Burdick, NYSEG has proposed increasing electric delivery rates by approximately 35% and natural gas delivery rates by nearly 39.4%, numbers that far exceed general inflation.

“Our constituents have seen their utility bills double and even triple in recent years. People who have lived within their means are now struggling to make ends meet because of soaring utility rates,” Burdick added. “As an intervenor in the ConEd rate case, and as an intervenor in the NYSEG rate case, I have seen firsthand how the process of setting delivery rates is not working. I urge residents to submit a public comment to the PSC, letting them know that NYSEG’s proposed rate hikes are unconscionable.”

Burdick urged customers to voice their concerns by calling the PSC at 1-800-335-2120 or by contacting the Governor’s office at 518-474-8390.

“For years, I have been working with individual constituents and the Public Utility Project on a myriad of issues related to NYSEG and its billing practices,” said County Legislator Pierce. “It is bad enough when the bills are too high, which they currently are, but it is even worse when the bills are also frequently incomprehensible or just downright wrong, and connecting with customer service is an impossibility. For so many reasons, the PSC must say no to this rate request, and further, must demand more accountability and better customer service from NYSEG.

Among the customers voicing their concerns was Goldens Bridge resident Nancy Felton, who has continuously felt the effect of mounting increases.

“In the last few years, NYSEG customers have received bills that are double, triple and even quadruple of what they were,” said Felton. “I, for example, have an outstanding balance of over $5,000 and it continues to grow each month. We need relief, not excuses. We need action.”

Her sentiments were echoed by Janet Pearlmutter, a resident of Heritage Hills in Somers.

"It’s ridiculous to pay $867 more a month," said Pearlmutter. "No one can basically afford that. This is totally crazy. I beg you, Public Service Commission, do whatever you can to help us. We really can’t afford this.”

Officials pointed to data indicating that more than 1.3 million customers are over two months behind on bills, with total unpaid balances exceeding $2 billion. Tens of thousands of households have been disconnected in 2025 alone.

Consumer advocates, including AARP New York, have urged rejection of significant utility rate increases, citing the severe impact on retirees and fixed-income households.

“Utilities operate as regulated monopolies with guaranteed returns,” Harckham said. “Shareholders should share in the risk too. They should not be insulated from economic realities while families make impossible choices between heating their homes and feeding their children.”

NYSEG RESPONDS

Following the Feb. 16 press conference, a NYSEG spokesperson provided the following statement to Halston Media:

"Unfortunately, the Senator’s and his colleagues' attempts to grab quick headlines by calling for the rejection of the rate plan completely misses the mark and intentionally ignores the skyrocketing unregulated supply costs, taxes, and state mandates pushed through by the New York legislature that combined make up the vast majority of customer utility bill charges, which NYSEG has zero control over.  We urge the Senator and his colleagues to tell the whole story of what’s in customer bills and include the facts of our rate plan, which will fund critical investments needed for local union members to upgrade aging poles and wires to strengthen the grid, increase capacity to lessen outages, and attract new economic development and jobs to communities."