Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-Hudson) announced she has written another letter to Cheryl LeFleur, the Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, urging the commission to enact a stay of the order to put in place new capacity zones. An enacted stay will relieve Hudson Valley ratepayers of additional increases to their energy bills.

“I have expressed my opposition to this misguided plan from the beginning and I again urge that FERC enact a stay of order and protect the Hudson Valley from shouldering the burden of even higher energy costs,” said Assemblymember Barrett.

Beginning on May 1, 2014, federal officials will group the Mid-Hudson Valley with New York City and Westchester County in a new capacity zone. The new capacity zone could result in a $230 million increase in energy costs in the first year alone, and $500 million over the next three years.

In her letter to Acting Chairmwoman LeFleur, Barrett requested that FERC take into consideration the economic harm the implementation of the capacity zones would have on the Hudson Valley. Barrett also noted that FERC should consider the many efforts already in progress to address and alleviate the bottleneck in delivering energy from upstate to downstate, as well as, the development of renewable energy sources and reduction in usage.