Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara is calling for action on a bill he’s a sponsor of in the State Assembly that would establish a New York State Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate (UCA) (A.7293) The UCA’s sole purpose would be to protect residents from rate increases and represent consumer interests at both the state and federal level.

Last year, National Grid submitted a rate hike proposal to the Public Service Commission. The proposal is still being considered with a decision expected later this year. Currently, utility consumers are only represented by the Public Service Commission, not specifically designed to protect ratepayers. More than 40 states have established an independent agency representing utility ratepayers, New York is now the largest state without one, and other states where such an office exists have seen drastic savings in utility costs,” said Santabarbara. “It’s time New Yorkers reaped those same benefits by having an independent advocate to look out for their best interests.”

“With the extremely cold and even record-breaking temperatures we have seen this year, there are growing concerns regarding National Grid’s rate hike proposal,” said Assemblyman Santabarbara. “If approved, it means $260 more each year that households, already struggling to get by, would have to come up with,” Santabarbara added. “When decisions are being made regarding utility rates, seniors and local families deserve an independent advocate at the table with their best interests in mind and whose priority is the impact on our community.”

The bill would require an annual report from the office of the UCA to the governor and legislature, which would be made available to the public free of charge, and would include information on all proceedings that the UCA participated in throughout the year and the outcomes of all of these proceedings. The report would also include the estimated savings to residential utility customers that resulted from intervention by the UCA, and any policy recommendations and suggested statutory amendments that the UCA would deem necessary. “I have strongly opposed National Grid’s rate hike proposal from the start, but there’s more we can do in the State Assembly to protect consumers before the Public Service Commission makes a decision,” noted Santabarbara.