The New York Public Service Commission held a public town hall at Binghamton City Hall on Tuesday. Residents voiced their perspectives on proposed electricity and gas delivery rate hikes that could impact consumers across the Southern Tier.

On June 30, New York State Electric and Gas and Rochester Gas and Electric filed proposals to boost their delivery credit from gas and electricity for the 12-month period ending April 30, 2027. This represents an 18.4 percent increase in overall revenue for both companies, which would have a varying impact on consumers depending on their customer class.

“The Company’s proposal already reflects input from the communities served by NYSEG and RG&E, which is one of the reasons why the companies are advocating for a multi-year rate plan built,” RG&E said in a press release on their website. “Multi-year rate plans benefit customers by providing bill predictability, shielding them from market volatility, and enabling better household budgeting. They also promote long-term utility investment in infrastructure and can maximize overall regulatory efficiency.”

NYSEG and RG&E operate throughout upstate New York, providing electricity for over 1.2 million customers and natural gas to nearly 590,000. The companies also run approximately 5,600 miles of transmission lines in the region. Both are subsidiaries of Avangrid, a leading renewable energy company in the United States and a subsidiary of Iberdrola, a Spanish electric utility company.

The town hall comes after several local politicians condemned NYSEG over the proposed hikes. In an August statement to Pipe Dream, State Sen. Lea Webb ‘04 said many Binghamton city residents were struggling with the increased cost of living and various challenges involving NYSEG’s billing practices. Last month, Rep. Josh Riley introduced legislation in Congress that would ban foreign enterprises from owning American utility companies, targeting companies such as NYSEG that send a large portion of revenue overseas to their foreign parent companies.

Overseeing the cable industry, the Public Service Commission is responsible for regulating the state’s electric, gas, steam, telecommunications and water utilities. Part of these responsibilities includes setting delivery rates and ensuring adequate utility services. Delivery rates are determined by the money and resources required to transport gas and electricity to residents’ homes, unlike supply rates, which are determined by the amount used and market demand and supply.

The commission, chaired by CEO Rory Christian, consists of seven members appointed by the governor and approved by the state senate. Since its formation, the commission has invited members of the public to voice their opinions as a key part of the commission’s decision-making process.

“Your participation in this process is crucial,” said Denise Sheehan, a public service commissioner, during the hearing. “We want to hear from you. We want to hear your experiences. We want to hear your stories. We want to hear what your experiences has been with respect to service from NYSEG and RG&E.”

All rate cases undergo a commission-led review process where the commission hears from the company and other parties, including advocates, elected officials and municipalities, along with the public, before reaching a decision.

Tara Percy and Ashley Moreno, both administrative law judges from the Department of Public Service, attended the hearing and asked each member of the public to testify. Sheehan and David Valesky, another commissioner, were present as observers.

Residents complained about the trend of increasing rates, frustration over transparency in fund movements, slow responses and poor customer service. Based on these shortcomings and the results of a state audit, locals argued the companies were not deserving of the increased revenue from rate hikes.

Patrick O’Brien ‘14, a staff attorney from Public Utility Law Project of New York, praised the active participation of community members.

“A lot of the speakers really did their homework,” O’Brien said. “They knew about that corporate structure, the subsidiaries, that the company is international. A lot of them brought in bill inserts and bills, and they checked the website. And so people are really educating themselves about what’s going on with the company and how they can educate themselves, but also see how it operates.