O&R Says Rate Hike Needed; Opponents Ask PSC To Deny It
PEARL RIVER, NY — Orange and Rockland Utilities has asked the New York Public Service Commission to approve an increase in annual electric delivery revenues that would result in a monthly bill increase of $8.26 (9.3 percent on the delivery bill, 6.0 percent on the total bill) for O&R’s typical electric residential customer.Their proposal is opposed by a coalition of entities in Rockland County. In a statement, the coalition said:Rockland County Executive Ed Day alongside the five Town Supervisors of Rockland County, the Rockland County Legislature, Rockland Green and the Rockland County Sewer District would like to express our opposition to the proposed rate increase by Orange and Rockland. The parties above have collectively retained the office of Dichter Law LLC to oppose the pending Orange and Rockland electric and gas rate that is before the Public Service Commission. O&R’s petition seeks a $18.1 million increase in electric revenues and $14.4 million in gas revenues. As costs continue to rise in nearly all sectors for Rockland County residents, these increases would place a heavy burden on the people of Rockland County, especially when they are currently paying the highest electric and gas rates in the country. We cannot continue to have these exorbitant increases in rates. We are calling on the PSC to review all of the proposed increases to protect the taxpayers of Rockland County.It is delivery rates that are set by state regulatory agencies. O&R does not set supply costs and doesn’t make a profit on the energy it must buy in the deregulated market. Three hearings on the rate request are scheduled in Rockland and Orange counties in June:June 17: 1-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Middletown City Hall, 16 James Street, Middletown NY 10940June 18: 1-6 p.m. in the Allison Parris County Government Building, 11 New Hempstead Road, New City NY 10956Meanwhile, the company forecasts an average monthly summer electric bill for a typical residential customer for 2024 will be $145.77 — a 10.5 percent increase over last summer. That increase includes the cost of 550 kWh of electricity and its delivery, O&R officials said.In its filing requesting rate increases, O&R described the need to increase resiliency and storm hardening efforts in anticipation of extreme weather events, address increases in electric usage, expand on grid modernization, increase distributed energy resources, develop large-scale renewables with the incorporation of a solar project to assist with the funding of the Company’s Energy Assistance Program, increase storage to support grid operations, and make progress towards the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals.O&R has invested nearly $1 billion on electric system maintenance and reliability projects over the last 10 years, company officials said, including installing heavier-duty overhead cable that is higher capacity and tree-resistant.Underground projects completed over the past year to harden the electric system at strategic locations and promote electric service reliability and resilience during high-demand summer months and beyond include:Haverstraw - A $4 million project to replace 9,000 feet of overhead cable with underground cable along Thiells Mount Ivy Road.Spring Valley - A $3.3 million project to replace 4,000 feet of overhead cable with an underground cable system along Pascack Road.Mamakating - A $3.2 million project to replace 4,500 feet of overhead off-road construction and the installation of a new 6,300-foot underground cable system from the Wurtsboro substation to the Mamakating town complex.O&R’s customers have reduced their environmental footprint over recent years, company officials said. The typical O&R residential customer currently uses 550 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per month, down from 600. That’s enough energy to run a typical 50-inch LED television for 1,000 hours.“O&R customers are leading the transition to the clean energy future,” said Michele O’Connell president and CEO of O&R in a recent news release. “Reducing energy consumption is the best, most environmentally sound way to achieve our energy goals. We are committed to working with our customers, regulators, policymakers, and other stakeholders in reimagining energy for our customers today and in the future."O&R offers lots of tips for saving energy and money on energy bills.Rate cases are a primary instrument of government regulation of utility companies, state officials said. Interested persons may intervene, become parties and submit filings in a utility company’s rate case.Typical intervenors include: industrial, commercial and other large-scale users of electricity; public interest groups; representatives of residential, low-income and elderly customers; local municipal officials; and, dedicated advocacy groups. If you are not a party in the rate case, you may post a comment online about it here.You can also see all the documents and comments on the O&R request on the Department of Public Service website.The article O&R Says Rate Hike Needed; Opponents Ask PSC To Deny It appeared first on Pearl River, NY Patch.
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