Urge Governor Hochul to Give Utility Customers an Independent Advocate!

New York utility customers—who pay some of the highest rates in the nation—lack full, independent representation in critical decisions affecting the reliability and affordability of essential utility services.

Utility companies spend millions of dollars annually—funded directly from customers’ utility bills—to advocate for rate increases before regulatory bodies. In effect, consumers are paying their utility companies to propose and defend hikes in their own rates.

The good news: the state legislature has passed legislation to finally give consumers a strong, independent voice.

Now, we need Governor Hochul to sign S.6277 (Scarcella-Spanton) / A.2468 (Dinowitz) into law to ensure utility customers have a dedicated advocate with a seat at the regulatory table.

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Dear Decision Maker,

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Every year, utility rates go up and up, and the increases seem bigger than ever. I’ve even seen you in the news criticizing proposed rate hikes, but none of it seems to make a difference. You have the power to stand up for ratepayers like me with the stroke of your pen, so please use it. I urge you to give utility consumers like me a voice by signing S.6277 (Scarcella-Spanton) / A.2468 (Dinowitz) into law.

The proper functioning of the regulatory process depends on vigorous, professional representation of consumers—representation that is separate from and independent of the regulators. Industrial and commercial consumers have the resources to hire legal counsel and expert witnesses to advocate for their interests before state and federal regulatory bodies. In contrast, residential utility consumers face significant barriers to pooling resources and securing expert legal representation.

This bill will establish the Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate—an independent voice that will fight for consumers in rate hike proceedings and other matters affecting the cost and reliability of utility services.

Governor Hochul, please sign S.6277 / A.2468 into law without delay.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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