ALBANY, New York — Continuing her affordability crusade, Gov. Kathy Hochul is pulling out a time-honored political playbook: bash the utility.
Hochul called Con Ed’s proposed rate increase “unconscionable” on Tuesday and urged the state’s top utility regulator to reject it. The utility proposed an increase of more than 10 percent for gas and electric customers last month.
“This is a real hit on families. They didn’t budget for this. They weren’t planning for this and these bills are going up, upwards of $500 a year,” Hochul said at a press conference Tuesday. “This is intolerable to me.”
The governor signed a letter to Department of Public Service CEO and Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian urging the rejection of the rate hike proposal at an event in New York City. Christian, who was appearing in front of lawmakers in Albany at the time, shrugged when asked whether he’d gotten a heads up about the letter.
