PSC reviews utility rates & renewable energy progress

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- The Public Service Commission is trying to balance the need for affordable energy with the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The CLCPA was signed into law in 2019. Their goals include shifting New York to 70% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% zero emission electricity by 2040. Another goal is to electrify 200,000 buildings annually. 

"As our state is transitioning off of fossil fuels onto electrification, the commission is extremely concerned about affordability, accessibility, and also reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, while also providing a safe and reliable service from New Yorkers," said Meagan Burton, Senior Attorney at Earth Justice. Burton said there are 20,000 customers receiving incentives for transitioning to fossil fuels but that number needs to increase to 200,000. According to Burton and Commissioner Diane Burman, the problem is, costs are too high. 

"In fact, we’ve spent a lot of dollars that were not helpful, that’s why we’ve had so many different refinements. And that’s why it’s important for us to shake off the desire to continue to pat ourselves on the back. I get it we’re doing great work, but we’ve got to also address the challenges. There’s no slide that says ‘challenges ahead,'" said Burman. Burman said this can be fixed through subsidies and working with state agencies. 

And when it comes to emission rates, Burton said studies show they’re still high, "We need to be aggressively cutting our emissions, we need to be reducing the build out of fossil fuels, and we need to make energy more affordable for New Yorkers." Burton said the New York Heat Act could be a good solution, capping utility costs for low and  moderate income New Yorkers to 6% of their income. However, that did not pass this session.