CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Rochester Gas and Electric customers could soon see an increase in their power bill, if the governor's new Power for Jobs program passes the state assembly.
That's according to Democratic Assemblyman Joe Morelle, who opposes the legislation.

The program has already cleared the state senate. It offers companies cheap power, in exchange for creating jobs. But Morelle says those savings for businesses will come at the expense of customers, who will be forced to subsidize the program through increased rates for hydroelectric power. He argues the program will negatively affect customers with RG&E, New York State Electric and Gas, and National Grid.

"The hydroelectric savings currently realized by those rate payers will be greatly reduced, hereby costing energy consumers here more. For Rochester Gas and Electric rate payers alone, it translates to a cost increase of nearly $25 million a year - between $80 and $100 annually for households and consumers."

Power for Jobs is a $150 million program. Morelle says state coffers should be used to subsidize it, instead of turning to upstate residents, to bear the brunt of what he says is a program that largely benefits downstate.

Power for Jobs is renewed annually by lawmakers, and currently supports 240,000 jobs across the state. But this year legislators failed to renew the program. It's continuing under a temporary two-week extender, but the governor has urged them to make the program permanent.