Yorktown Supervisor Urges Residents to Oppose NYSEG Rate Increases
Yorktown Supervisor Matt Slater is urging residents to oppose NYSEG’s proposed rate increases of more than 20 percent over three years because of its poor performance history.
The New York Public Service Commission will hold two public hearings on Wednesday, August 26 to receive feedback on the proposed rate increase. On Monday Supervisor Slater submitted a letter opposing the proposal because of repeated power disruption in Yorktown in recent years.
“Rate increases should be tied to performance. Sadly, Yorktown residents can attest to the consistently substandard service NYSEG has provided,” Supervisor Slater wrote in his Aug. 17 letter to the PSC. “As we digest the actions taken before and after Hurricane Isaias, vegetation management will be a focal point. Our community raised this in the aftermath of Quinn and Riley in 2018, which crippled our community for more than a week and resulted in a PSC-led investigation. The costs associated with NYSEG finally implementing a comprehensive vegetation management program should not fall on the back of ratepayers.”
A copy of Supervisor Slater’s letter to the PSC is attached. For details on NYSEG’s proposed rate increase click here.
Yorktown official are calling on all residents to contact the PSC and voice their opposition. The following instructions will allow members of the public to comment on the proposed rate increases verbally or in writing:
DATE: Wednesday, August 26
TIME: 1:00 P.M.
Electronic Access: www.webex.com
Event Number: 129 561 6203; Password: August26-1pm
Phone-Only Access: 518-549-0500; Access Code: 129 561 6203
TIME: 6:00 P.M.
Electronic Access: www.webex.com
Event Number: 129 716 5524; Password: August26-6pm
Phone-Only Access: 518-549-0500; Access Code: 129 716 5524
Any person wishing to provide a public statement on the record at a hearing must pre-register to do so by 5:00 P.M. on Monday, August 24, 2020. To register electronically: Participants who would like to provide a statement and will login to a hearing electronically may register to do so by visiting www.webex.com, where they should click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, enter the appropriate event number listed above and provide all requested information.
When logging in to a hearing on the appropriate date and time of the hearing, participants will be asked to “select audio system.” It is recommended that participants opt to have the system “call me” or “call using computer.” The “call me” option will require participants to enter their phone numbers.
To register by phone: Any participant who is not able to login to a hearing electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to provide a statement must register to do so in advance by calling 1-800-342-3330, where they should follow prompts to the appropriate hearing and provide the following information: first and last name, address, and phone number.
On the appropriate date and time of a hearing, all call-in users should dial 518-549-0500 and enter the relevant access code listed above. Each public statement hearing will be held open until everyone who has registered to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements to submit comments into the record have been made. Time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary. We also recommend that lengthy comments be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation.
Disabled persons requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service’s Human Resources Management Office at (518) 474-2520 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English are encouraged to call the Department at 1-800-342- 3377 for free language assistance.
Other Ways to Comment
For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak at a public statement hearing, there are several other ways to provide your comments. Comments should refer to Case “19-E-0378, “19-G-0379,” “19- E-0380,” or “19-G-0381.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this proceeding, they are requested by August 31, 2020. Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, then click on “Search” and enter the case number, “19-E-0378,” “19-G-0379,” “19-E-0380,” or “19-G-0381” in the “Search by Case Number” field, and then click on “Post Comments” at the top right of the page; or send comments by email to the Secretary to the Commission at secretary@dps.ny.gov.
Alternatively, comments may be mailed to Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350. All written comments will become part of the record considered by the Commission and may be accessed on the Department of Public Service website by searching the case number, as described above, and clicking on the “Public Comments” tab. Toll-Free Opinion Line: You may call the Commission’s Opinion Line at 1- 800-335-2120. This number is set up to take comments about pending cases from in-State callers, 24-hours a day.
