CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

ALBANY -- Staff members at the state Public Service Commission are arguing that New York State Electric & Gas's proposed rate hike is too rich.

Rochester-based NYSEG, which serves about 45,000 customers in the Capital Region, is seeking to raise annual gas and electric rates by $215 million statewide.
Such an increase would add nearly $40, combined, to the average monthly gas and electric bill. The five-person commission, which regulates utilities in the state, must approve the rates.

But in testimony filed as part of the case, which is expected to conclude by August, staff at the PSC say that NYSEG can't justify such a high increase.

Instead, they urge that the company be allowed to raise electric rates by $27 million and keep gas rates the same.

In a filing made on Jan. 25, PSC staff members say that NYSEG and its sister company, Rochester Gas & Electric, are proposing an "unprecedented" amount of new spending that will have a "massive impact" on rates.

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