By Dan Murphy
Westchester County is serviced by two different electric power companies: Con Edison to the south and New York State Electric and Gas to the north. Some residents in northern Westchester have complained that their NYSEG electric bills have quadrupled this winter.
State Sen. Terrence Murphy and Assemblyman Kevin Byrne are attempting to find out why the bills have gone through the roof.
“Hudson Valley ratepayers are strapped with some of the highest energy costs in the nation,” said Murphy. “They deserve an explanation and some transparency about why their bills doubled, tripled or quadrupled in just one month. If this is an issue requiring state action, we will surely take action.”
In a letter to the president of NYSEG, the lawmakers ask for an explanation of the increased rates, if a payment plan is available, and what communication plan the company has in place to warn consumers of rising or spiking costs.
“It’s crazy that some of our neighbors recently learned that their utility bills have skyrocketed by as much as 400 percent,” said Byrne. “For some people, it could mean the difference between affording food and expensive medications or heating their homes. I will continue to work with our partners in government for greater accountability and transparency.”
Rosalie Meli Cicogna, a resident of Heritage Hills in Somers, was shocked when she received her enormous bill, especially because she has made her home energy-efficient.
“This is an egregious breach of confidence between NYSEG and its customers,” she said. “We’re led to believe that being energy-conscious will be rewarded. I’ve gone to great lengths to make my home efficient, only to be punished with a sky-high bill. Thank goodness Sen. Murphy and Assemblyman Byrne are once again standing up for us.”
Another question that many in Westchester have about the future of their electric and NYSEG or Con Ed bills are: What will the increases be when the Indian Point Power Plant closes in 2021?
After last year’s announcement that Indian Point, which provides 25 percent of New York City and Westchester’s electrical power, will start to close in 2020 and close entirely in 2021, Gov. Andrew Cuomo promised that “the state is fully prepared to replace the power generated by the plant at a negligible cost to ratepayers.”
The governor’s assurances have not been confirmed by any energy expert in the New York-metropolitan area. “It’s hard to know how likely it will impact rates, because terms of the shutdown haven’t been laid out in any detail yet,” said Peter Bradford, a former chairman of the state’s Public Service Commission.
Entergy President Bill Mohl, who announced Indian Point’s upcoming closure last year, said it will take some time to find other energy sources to make up for Indian Point. “Clearly right now they don’t have the ability to replace the 2,000 megawatts,” he said. “Obviously they’re going to need to add a substantial amount of capacity.”
The Cuomo administration’s claim that closing the plant “will have little to no effect on New Yorkers’ electricity bills” was concurred by Dr. Robert Brinkmann, founder of the Sustainability Studies program at Hofstra University. “The state has been quite aggressive with other renewables, we have quite a lot of energy coming from hydroelectric plants, and there has been a lot of work to boost other green energy, including wind and solar,” he said.
The other side of the “green” argument against nuclear power is the fear by some climate scientists that carbon emissions in New York could increase by more than 31 million metric tons during the next two years, if a number of nuclear power plants close.
The Business Council of Westchester estimated that electric bills could rise by 6.3 percent if Indian Point closes. The reality is that nobody knows what the future electric rates will be in Westchester once the plant closes in less than four years. But the recent fluctuations in prices that were likely the result of the drastic increase in residents’ power bills point to an uncertain future.
Meanwhile, elected officials who represent local governments and school districts that will be affected by the Indian Points closure continue to ask Albany for financial assistance.
Westchester County Legislator John Testa added to the Board of Legislators’ Joint State Legislative Package an amendment to Cuomo’s executive budget proposal to include additional funds for the Electric Generation Facility Cessation Mitigation Program. There is no contribution to this fund in the governor’s proposed NYS budget.
The Town of Cortlandt, Village of Buchanan and the Hendrick Hudson School District are expected to lose $32 million in payment in lieu of tax payments from Entergy, including $4 million to Westchester County.
“This revenue is critical for our municipal partners in Buchanan, Cortlandt and Hendrick Hudson School District and affect the overall fiscal health of Westchester County,” said Testa. “As long as there are power plants in operation, there will be a need to fund their eventual closures. We need to plan ahead and know our communities will be protected as we prepare for permanent local solutions and the decommissioning process.”
Testa is a Republican who never called for Indian Point to be closed. But many Democrats who got their wish, with the plant now closing in 2021, are now asking for financial assistance from the state, and from New York taxpayers, once it closes. So far, Cuomo hasn’t committed to a dollar in aid, and keep your fingers crossed that your electric bill doesn’t go through the roof in the next few winters.
