Central Hudson Agrees to Reduce Its Residential Customer Charge, Benefiting Consumers and Clean Energy
NEW YORK — On April 18, Central Hudson Gas and Electric proposed a settlement in its ongoing rate proceeding, in which it agrees to reduce its current electric and gas residential customer charge from $24 to $19.50 over three years. Central Hudson’s customer charge reduction makes it the first New York utility to reduce its customer charge in more than a decade.
Jen Metzger, Director of Citizens for Local Power, said: “Central Hudson’s historically high fixed charges have been a burden on many seniors and low- and moderate-income households, which tend use less energy. We welcome this important step in the right direction to alleviate this burden and make rates fairer by tying them more closely to how much energy customers actually use.”
Cullen Howe, Acadia Center’s New York Director, said: “Central Hudson’s agreement to reduce these regressive fees will benefit the majority of its residential customers. As the state looks to ramp up its efforts on energy efficiency and clean energy, Acadia Center believes it is crucial that New York utilities and regulators provide the right incentives to invest in these resources. Though Central Hudson’s fixed charge is still high and must continue to be lowered, other utilities should follow its example and begin reducing their customer charges as well.”
Also referred to as basic service or fixed charges, customer charges are flat fees that every customer pays, regardless of the amount of electricity or gas used. Across the country, fixed charges for residential electric customers typically range from $5 to $10 a month, but in some states — notably New York — these charges are significantly higher. Central Hudson’s current customer charges are the highest in New York and among the highest in the nation.
High electric customer charges disproportionately burden low-income customers, who typically use less electricity than average and generally benefit from lower customer charges. They also conflict with New York’s goals for a clean, modern, consumer-friendly electric system by removing any incentive for customers to lower their electricity bills through conservation, investment in energy efficiency, or renewable energy technologies like solar power.
While these reductions are an important step, other New York utilities have continued to maintain, or seek increases to, these charges. On March 15, for example, the Public Service Commission approved a decision allowing National Grid to maintain its existing monthly customer charge at $17, and Orange & Rockland County Utilities recently filed a rate proceeding seeking to increase its current $20 customer charge to $22. The New York Customer Charge coalition has set up a web site at www.lowerfixedcharges.org to continue advocating for lowering these charges and providing rate relief to low-income and low-usage New York energy consumers.
Jessica Azulay, Program Director at Alliance for a Green Economy, said: “We hope the Central Hudson agreement is the first step in a process to reduce fixed charges for all utilities across New York State. New York has set ambitious energy affordability and climate goals. Reduction in fixed charges is a major tool that utility regulators can and should use to accomplish both of those goals. We urge the Public Service Commission to use this tool aggressively to ease energy burdens for residential customers and incentivize conservation, energy efficiency, and investments in distributed renewable energy.”
Richard Berkley, Executive Director of the Public Utility Law Project of New York, said: “We are grateful to Central Hudson for taking the lead in beginning what will hopefully be a statewide reduction of New York’s extremely high customer charges. In a state where approximately half of residential energy consumers have trouble paying their utility and other vital bills such as food, medicine, mortgages or rent, taking concrete steps toward greater affordability by reducing these regressive charges is something we can all support, and we are equally grateful to our coalition partners and to the Department of Public Service for its assistance in bringing about the first reductions of these charges.”
“Fixed customer charges in New York are too high and are bad policy. This settlement marks an important step toward reducing the harmful effects that these charges have on customers, and in aligning rates with the New York vision for electricity markets,” said Karl R. Rábago, executive director for the Pace Energy and Climate Center and a former utility regulatory commissioner. “We are pleased that our years of work in rate cases in New York against these unfair utility charges is bearing fruit.”
Jonathan Bix, Executive Director of Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, said, “This nearly 20% reduction in Central Hudson’s fixed charge will increase affordability and decrease shutoffs for low-income customers. Although this reduction is a critical victory, Central Hudson and other utilities must continue to lower their regressive fixed charges, including Orange & Rockland Utilities through their current rate proceeding.”
Media Contacts:
Cullen Howe, Senior Attorney & NY Director
chowe@acadiacenter.org, 212-256-1535 x501
Krysia Wazny, Communications Director
kwazny@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x107
Eversource Granted High Profit Margins, Automatic Annual Rate Increases, and Detrimental Charges for New Solar Customers
57 Consumer, Clean Energy, and Community Organizations Call on State Leaders to Address Counterproductive Decisions
BOSTON — Today, Acadia Center, Health Care Without Harm, MASSPIRG, Vote Solar, and 53 other organizations released a joint statement pointing to serious concerns over decisions by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) in Eversource’s recent electricity rate case. These decisions are inconsistent with the consumer-friendly clean energy future that Massachusetts is striving for. The 57 organizations bringing forward these concerns come from many different perspectives, including low-income and ratepayer advocates, environmental, health and clean energy public interest organizations, solar advocates, and clean energy businesses.
“Massachusetts is embracing many innovations on clean energy, including energy efficiency and offshore wind, that will boost the Commonwealth’s economy, benefit consumers, improve public health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” noted Daniel Sosland, President of Acadia Center. “Unfortunately, in four important ways, the DPU’s decisions in Eversource’s rate case represent a significant step away from embracing a clean energy future. Instead, these DPU decisions provide incentives for the company to invest in outdated and expensive energy infrastructure, reduce customer control, and impose significant unnecessary costs on consumers.”
Two of these decisions, unnecessarily high profit margins (known as the return on equity) and automatic annual revenue increases going forward, could collectively cost ratepayers an extra $460 million over five years. The other two decisions, unprecedented new demand charges on new residential solar customers and the elimination of optional residential on-peak/off-peak rates, would move away from electricity rates that are efficient and consumer-friendly.
“Hospitals typically have very small margins, so every unnecessary penny per kWh for Eversource means a lot less money for healing patients,” said Paul Lipke, Senior Advisor for Energy and Buildings at Health Care Without Harm. “Unless addressed, Eversource’s rate changes also increase pollution and shift costs from energy to health care. This conflicts directly with efforts to constrain the Commonwealth’s health costs, and at a time when households already spend six times on health care what they spend on energy. We can and must do better.”
“The Commission has decided to effectively raise costs, remove value and reduce customers’ understanding of and control over bills by approving Eversource’s new solar demand charge,” said Nathan Phelps, Regulatory Director for Vote Solar. “This decision is out of step with Massachusetts laws to encourage the state’s transition to a clean and reliable electricity system, and out of step with the DPU’s own prior leadership ensuring that solar customers are treated fairly for the local power they generate. We urge the Legislature and the Governor to reject this decision and reinstate Eversource customers’ right to lower their own utility bills with rooftop solar, protect the thousands of solar jobs serving our state, and deliver on the Commonwealth’s commitment to building a clean energy economy.”
“For many of us, our electricity bills are a significant monthly expense, and we rely on regulators to make sure utility companies like Eversource don’t overcharge ratepayers or adopt pricing practices that are deceptive or unfair,” said Deirdre Cummings, MASSPIRG’s Consumer Program Director. “In this case, the DPU has approved Eversource’s new pricing schemes that will result in hundreds of millions in excessive charges; while at the same time, Eversource has made it harder for consumers to monitor their electricity use and reduce their bills.”
“Residential on-peak/off-peak rates should be used as a key tool to manage peak demand. Historically, these have been underutilized because the utilities do not publicize them and make them difficult to sign up for,” said Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney for Acadia Center. “Instead of optimizing these rates and making them easier to access, the DPU let Eversource eliminate them.”
The decision on the return on equity is currently being appealed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court by Attorney General Maura Healey, and the decision on demand charges for new residential solar customers is being appealed by Vote Solar and other parties. The decision on demand charges is the subject of a bill recommended favorably by the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy at the Massachusetts legislature, and a requirement for optional on-peak/off-peak rates is included in several different bills. The DPU recently denied the Attorney General’s motion for reconsideration on the automatic annual revenue increases.
Media Contacts:
Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney
mlebel@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x104
Janice Gan, Public Engagement and Communications Associate
jgan@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x106
Reversal of Federal Clean Car Standards Will Harm Consumers and Climate
BOSTON — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that the agency will attempt to roll back federal clean car standards, reversing a decision in January 2017 that reinforced those standards. The clean car standards require automakers to limit the amount of pollution emitted by the vehicles they produce. In response, Acadia Center has released the following statement:
“Clean car standards protect all Americans from unnecessarily high fuel costs and from pollution that is dangerous to their health. Rolling back these standards will damage the country’s economy and its competitive position, contrary to erroneous assertions by EPA. EPA’s decision will cost consumers a net savings of about $1,600 over the lifetime of a car, increase pollution that causes and exacerbates asthma, and unnecessarily pour more emissions that cause climate change back into the atmosphere,” said Daniel Sosland, Acadia Center’s president.
“In undermining fuel efficiency standards, EPA leadership has defied its own experts, who have evaluated them extensively and confirmed their effectiveness. Once again, EPA rejects sound science and frustrates the growth of technology improvements for vehicles, which are already available and which consumers deserve.”
The Obama Administration approved the latest clean car standards in 2012, with the support of automakers. In January 2017, the EPA concluded that these standards are working, achievable, and should not be rolled back.
“In the absence of federal leadership, it’s essential that the nation’s coalition of clean car states exercise their right to safeguard the health of their residents and the planet,” said Emily Lewis, policy analyst and coordinator of Acadia Center’s Electrification of Transportation and Heating Initiative.
The clean car states include nearly all states in New England as well as New York, and together they represent 113 million Americans and more than one-third of the auto market.
“The clean car states will not be immediately affected by EPA’s decision, but millions of Americans in neighboring states will pay more at the pump while suffering the consequences of increased pollution — pollution which cannot be limited by state lines and affects us all,” said Lewis.
“The Northeast can redouble its commitment to reducing pollution from the transportation sector by embracing a new cap-and-invest program,” said Jordan Stutt, policy analyst. “Seven Northeast states and Washington, D.C., are now holding listening sessions to explore opportunities for regional collaboration to modernize and decarbonize the transportation sector. A multi-state cap-and-invest program can reduce transportation pollution and raise money to support cleaner and more modern ways of moving people and goods, including through low- and zero-emissions vehicles. The necessity and urgency of this step is further emphasized by the EPA’s abandonment of national policies to support a low-emissions system.”
Media Contacts:
Emily Lewis, Policy Analyst & Coordinator, Electrification of Transportation and Heating Initiative
elewis@acadiacenter.org, 860-2467121 x207
Krysia Wazny, Communications Director
kwazny@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x107
Rhode Island Listening Sessions for Clean Transportation Are “Positive Step” in Commitment to Regional Policy
Acadia Center, Ceres, NRDC, Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists See Leadership Opportunity at First Listening Session after Bonn Pledge to Develop Clean Transportation
PROVIDENCE, RI (Media Advisory) — Leading environmental, scientific and business organizations working to advance modern, clean and low-carbon transportation are hopeful that upcoming listening sessions will lead to the development of much-needed transportation policy. Rhode Island and other states across the region (Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and the District of Columbia) are initiating a series of public listening sessions on transportation and climate issues, seeking public input on the solutions that can implemented to improve and modernize the transportation system. Two listening sessions in Rhode Island will kick things off on April 3rd and 4th, 2018, in Newport and Providence, respectively. For details, go to: http://climatechange.ri.gov/state-actions/listening-sessions.php.
In November, the seven states and Washington, D.C., pledged to explore regional policies to reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector. The Rhode Island listening sessions for clean transportation will provide a launching pad for discussion of current challenges as well as an opportunity to propose policies that will reduce air pollution generated by cars and trucks while building an equitable transportation network that better serves all of Rhode Island’s residents.
At the listening sessions, policymakers, business leaders and others will discuss solutions to the challenges that lay ahead, including: new infrastructure for electric vehicles; better public transportation, including zero-emission bus service; and programs to ensure low-income and underserved communities have access to transportation options that are affordable, convenient, and non-polluting.
Similar listening sessions were held in Massachusetts last fall, and additional state and regional sessions will follow.
ABOUT THE GROUPS
Leading environmental, scientific and business organizations, including Acadia Center, Ceres, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists are working together to advance modern, efficient, and clean low-carbon transportation solutions in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The groups are focused on improving our transportation system — the ways we move people and goods in the region — to spur economic growth, make us healthier and safer, clean up the environment, and improve our quality of life. An improved transportation system means more clean cars and trucks, more reliable mass transit, more walkable and bikeable communities, and investments that connect everyone, including those in underserved and rural areas.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Pat Mitchell, (703) 276-3266 or pmitchell@hastingsgroup.com
Albany Listening Session For Clean Transportation Is Positive First Step In Regional Commitment To Modernization
Jordan Stutt, policy analyst, Acadia Center, said: “The states are convening these conversations at an opportune time. Congested roads, outdated infrastructure and heavily polluting vehicles are a drag on the economy and our health. By working together, these states can implement regional solutions for clean and modernized transportation that will improve quality of life and reduce health risks from pollution.”
Read the full article from PR Newswire here.
Public Scrutiny Needed for Eversource Northern Pass Project
BOSTON—Acadia Center is calling for a public review and full transparency following yesterday’s announcement that Northern Pass Transmission’s hydro-only bid, a partnership between Eversource and Hydro Quebec, was selected as the sole winner of the Massachusetts Clean Energy RFP.
The RFP, called for by a 2016 energy law, sought clean energy for about 17% of Massachusetts’ annual electricity needs. Although more than 40 bids were submitted in the summer of 2017—including several with a blend of on-shore wind and hydroelectricity, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and a group of Massachusetts utilities, which included Eversource, chose one controversial project, owned in large part by a subsidiary of Eversource. As the winning bid, Eversource and Hydro-Quebec will begin the process of negotiating long-term, multi-billion-dollar contracts with Eversource, National Grid and Unitil, the other distribution companies.
“Acadia Center is disappointed but not surprised that the process has resulted in the recommendation of the Northern Pass project,” said Daniel Sosland, president of Acadia Center. “Acadia Center has long asserted that clean energy bids should include the region’s wind resources and not only hydropower imports and has further been concerned that having utilities review bids in which they have a financial interest creates a clear conflict of interest that undermines public confidence in the process.”
Acadia Center supported the 2016 energy law and the Commonwealth’s pursuing a large-scale procurement of clean energy, particularly arguing for environmental protections, a preference for a blend of new renewables and hydro, and guaranteed winter energy delivery to control price spikes, all of which the statute and RFP specified. One provision that Acadia Center argued against—but was still allowed in the 2016 energy law—was allowing the utilities to bid for the contract and serve on the selection committee.
“Under the terms of the RFP, the selected project was to provide the greatest benefit with limited risk to Massachusetts ratepayers. We don’t know the relative benefit-cost ratios because the price terms are confidential, but choosing only one project from an existing importer of electricity has major risks,” said Amy Boyd, Senior Attorney at Acadia Center. “Hydro-Quebec has previously curtailed power to New England in winter months, when demand in Quebec is highest. Similarly, reliance on a single project has its own risks. Northern Pass Transmission faces serious opposition due to its land use impacts and its projected in-service date has been delayed previously.”
After the contract is negotiated it will be reviewed by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), and the review must include a report from an independent evaluator and the participation of the Attorney General’s office. Under the statute, Eversource is also eligible for an additional incentive of up to 2.75% of the contract price for its share of the energy, as one of the contracting distribution companies. The public must be privy to any evaluation of the fairness of this and other aspects of the contract.
“Acadia Center believes that a full public report from the statutorily required independent evaluator and scrutiny by the Attorney General are important next steps. The public needs to have full confidence that this was a fair process and the benefits of other bidders were evaluated reasonably. The current ongoing procurements for offshore wind and future procurements are even more crucial to progress towards a clean energy future,” said Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney for Acadia Center. “If this contract is approved, the DPU should deny Eversource an additional incentive as a distribution company. Ratepayers don’t need to give Eversource additional money as a backstop for a contract where they are also on the other side.”
Media Contacts:
Amy Boyd, Senior Attorney
aboyd@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x102
Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney
mlebel@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x104
Krysia Wazny, Communications Director
kwazny@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x107
Consumer and environmental advocates release statements opposing National Grid settlement proposal
After months of negotiations, a Joint Proposal was filed Friday, January 19, in the National Grid rate case, representing the settlement position of some parties in the case. The new proposed increases are as follows:
Under the agreement, the fixed charge for electricity would remain at $17.00 per month. The fixed customer charge is the portion of the bill that does not change, no matter how much electricity the customer uses. For more information see: www.lowerfixedcharges.org.
The Joint Proposal will now be open for public comment and consideration by the Public Service Commission. In response to the filing, some parties to the case who do not support the settlement released the following statements:
Cullen Howe, Acadia Center’s New York Director, said: “Acadia Center is disappointed that the Joint Proposal filed today does not address National Grid’s high fixed charges of $17 per month for residential customers. In contrast to its high fixed charges in New York, National Grid has a residential fixed charge of only $5 in Rhode Island and $5.50 in Massachusetts. These high fixed charges reduce customers’ ability to lower their electricity bills by using less energy, and they are ultimately incompatible with the energy future envisioned by New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision, which anticipates wide deployment of distributed energy resources and increased energy efficiency. By not addressing these charges, these goals are much more difficult to achieve.”
Jessica Azulay, Program Director of Alliance for a Green Economy, said: “We are disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement with the parties in this case that would prevent a rate hike and support the State’s environmental goals. While there are some improvements made in the filed agreement as compared to National Grid’s original proposal, it does not go far enough to protect low-income households and the environment. In particular, we oppose any rate increase at a time when there is already an untenable affordability and economic crisis in Upstate New York, and we further call on the Public Service Commission to reduce the fixed charges on our bills. These fixed charges, which customers must pay regardless of how much energy they use — disproportionately hurt low-income customers by impeding their ability to control their bills through conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy participation. Finally, we oppose the provisions in the proposal that support ratepayer investments and incentives for gas expansion. The climate crisis demands that we stop investing our public money into gas infrastructure and that we support renewable-based heating options instead.”
Clarke Gocker, Director of Policy and Strategy at PUSH Buffalo, said, “Low income National Grid customers in Buffalo and Western NY struggle to afford the high cost of utility bills and want nothing more than to take control over their energy consumption, whether it’s through conserving energy, participating in no cost or cost-effective energy efficiency programs, or accessing rooftop and community solar opportunities that afford them real decision making power and actual savings. The Joint Proposal filed today with the Public Service Commission in the National Grid rate case fails to deliver the kind of direct benefits that can permanently reduce household energy burdens and create the conditions for energy democracy in marginalized communities. While settlement negotiations in the case, together with fallout from the recent federal tax cut plan, have appeared to reduce the potential rate impact for customers, any increase in utility rates is extractive and unaffordable for low income customers in our community, and for that reason PUSH Buffalo opposes the terms reached in the Joint Proposal.”
Rich Puchalski, Executive Director of Syracuse United Neighbors, said: “The Joint Proposal fails to once again look at the historic policies that have forced high electric and gas rates on low income families in Syracuse for all too long. Those living in 1, 2 and 3 family poorly insulated wood frame homes are shelling out hundreds of dollars especially in the last couple of months of below freezing temperatures. Shutoffs will escalate. Credit will be ruined, and the poor can’t manage their way out of the bills they get from National Grid. And this is a 3-year plan! HELP.”
The public can submit comments to the Public Service Commission on the Joint Proposal at this web address: http://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/Comments/PublicComments.aspx?MatterCaseNo=17-E-0238
Comments can also be submitted through the following websites, which have samples and talking points available to aid in comment writing:
www.allianceforagreeneconomy.org/new-year
www.lowerfixedcharges.org
All documents related to the case can be found here:
http://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterCaseNo=17-E-0238&submit=Search
Media Contacts:
Cullen Howe, Senior Attorney & New York Director
chowe@acadiacenter.org, 212-256-1535 x501
Krysia Wazny, Communications Director
kwazny@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x107
MA Department of Public Utilities Order Damages Clean Energy and Consumer Control
BOSTON—On Friday, January 5, 2018, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (MA DPU) issued an order on a major rate case involving Eversource, the Commonwealth’s largest utility, which provides service from Boston to the Berkshires. In Docket 17-05, the DPU rubberstamped a range of proposals by Eversource including demand charges for new residential solar projects starting on December 31, 2018 and the elimination of optional time-of-use rates for residential customers. Acadia Center is an intervenor in the rate case and opposed these proposed changes, along with numerous other parties, as harmful to consumers and counterproductive to incentives for consumer-friendly, clean energy technologies that should be the cornerstone of a modern energy system: energy efficiency, storage, electric vehicles, and rooftop solar.
“In order to achieve a cleaner, modern, more efficient and consumer-friendly energy system, Massachusetts needs to step up its game and embrace smarter electricity rates and more customer control. Rate reform should provide customers with the right tools, including understandable incentives to reduce energy use and invest in clean energy technologies,” said Daniel Sosland, president of Acadia Center. “By eliminating optional residential time-of-use rates and approving complicated demand charges, the Department is moving backwards instead of forward.”
“Demand charges” are charges based on the highest peak hourly usage by a customer over the course of a month, regardless of when that electricity is used. Given the lack of sophisticated metering in Massachusetts, there is no way for consumers to know what time this peak occurred and what actions could be taken to manage these charges. As a result, consumers will be paying the highest possible rate for this charge without being provided the information needed to understand the cause of these costs. Importantly, because an individual customer’s peak usage does not necessarily correspond to peak demand across the utility’s electricity system, consumers are not being provided incentives to reduce energy usage in a way that could benefit the whole electricity system. The result is that opportunities to reduce peak demand—which drives costs for the system at large—will be lost. Acadia Center co-authored a paper on issues with demand charges in 2016.
“Acadia Center and other intervenors in the Eversource rate case made a detailed case that demand charges are not understandable by small customers and are inefficient because they are not tied to the peak times that drive costs,” said Amy Boyd, Senior Attorney and lead counsel for Acadia Center in the rate case. “The Department has chosen to move forward despite these issues. In addition, elimination of residential time-of-use rates harms efforts to reduce the costs associated with peak usage across the system through energy efficiency and other investments made by customers.”
Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney and expert witness in the rate case, said: “Imposition of demand charges on new residential solar customers starting in 2018 is a mistake. The Department has taken an unreasonable approach to addressing any issues with net metering and ignored Acadia Center’s proposals for more gradual reforms over time, including a distribution reliability charge that could be implemented with current metering.”
Media Contacts:
Amy Boyd, Senior Attorney
aboyd@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x102
Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney
mlebel@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x104
Krysia Wazny, Communications Director
kwazny@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x107
Following Bonn Announcement, Leaders and Stakeholders Gather at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to Discuss the Future of Transportation
MEDFORD, MA—On January 11, 2018 stakeholders from across the northeast region will gather at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University for “The Future of Transportation Symposium: Innovation, Technology & Policy,” a one-day conference co-hosted by Acadia Center and The Fletcher School’s Climate Policy Lab in their Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, and in partnership with Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) and other allies.
The symposium will serve as a forum for conversations about how the region can address transportation pollution, access, and innovation from academic, policy, and business perspectives.
The conference follows the November announcement at COP23 in Bonn, Germany by seven states—Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, New York, Maryland, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.—that they will explore regional climate policies for the transportation sector by holding listening sessions in the coming months. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s administration recently held several well-attended listening sessions, generating input from many members of the public and groups that want to see progress in this area. “The Future of Transportation Symposium” is an opportunity for stakeholders and policy makers to gather and discuss the best approaches and practices to shape state and regional transportation policy.
The symposium will also highlight the leadership of Massachusetts in working to promote modern, forward-looking transportation policies. Matthew Beaton, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, will open the day’s activities with an address about the future of transportation in Massachusetts and across the region.
In addition to T4MA, symposium partners include the Environmental League of Massachusetts and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
WHAT: The Future of Transportation Symposium: Innovation, Technology & Policy – convened by The Fletcher School’s Climate Policy Lab and Acadia Center
WHO: Matthew Beaton, Secretary of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Barbara Kates-Garnick, Professor of Practice at The Fletcher School and former Undersecretary of Energy for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Daniel L. Sosland, President, Acadia Center
WHERE: Alumnae Hall, Tufts University, 40 Talbot Ave, Medford, MA 02155
WHEN: January 11, 2018 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
A complete agenda and list of speakers is available here.
Media Contacts:
Lindsay Hammes, Communications and PR Specialist, The Fletcher School
Lindsay.hammes@tufts.edu, 617-627-2447
Krysia Wazny, Communications Director, Acadia Center
kwazny@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054
Clean Energy and Consumer Organizations Launch Campaign Calling for Lower Monthly Mandatory Electric Charges
NEW YORK — Acadia Center, Alliance for a Green Economy, Citizens for Local Power, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Public Utility Law Project of New York, and Vote Solar today launched a campaign to decrease one of New York’s most regressive and unfair charges for utility service: the fixed charge, an unavoidable monthly fee that all residential electric customers must pay regardless of the amount of electricity they use.
New York has very high fixed customer charges compared to other states, which can make energy unaffordable for many households and discourages investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
For example, National Grid has a residential fixed charge of $17 in New York, but only $5 in Rhode Island and $5.50 in Massachusetts. Central Hudson has even higher fixed charges at $24, which it is seeking to increase to $25, as well as add an additional tiered “service size charge” for many customers. Acadia Center found that current average residential customer charges for major investor-owned utilities are higher in New York than in all of its neighboring states.
A newly launched website, www.lowerfixedcharges.org, explains why a majority of utility customers would substantially benefit from lower fixed charges and contains original analysis and supporting information, including:
- Joint principles on residential fixed charges signed by over 50 organizations;
- A letter signed by more than 130 New York public officials requesting that state regulators reduce fixed charges in New York;
- Articles and op-eds on fixed charges;
- Expert analysis on the consumer, economic, and environmental benefits of lowering fixed charges in New York; and
- Opportunities for consumers make their voices heard on this issue by giving them the ability to submit comments in the National Grid and Central Hudson rate cases and the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) proceeding.
Cullen Howe, Acadia Center’s New York director, said: “Fixed charges remain a stubborn and pressing problem in New York as it looks to modernize its energy system and give customers more control over their energy bills. Most states across the country use a definition for residential fixed charges that is much narrower than New York’s approach. This new web campaign gives New Yorkers valuable information on why residential fixed charges are too high and what they can do to address this problem.”
“We see no reason why utility customers in New York should be paying fixed charges that are three times higher than those paid to the same company by customers in other states,” said Jessica Azulay, program director of Alliance for a Green Economy. “It’s high time to reduce these charges so that low-income customers, low energy users, and people who want to invest in energy efficiency and renewables are no longer overburdened with these regressive and unfair costs.”
“A key goal of the Governor’s Reforming the Energy Vision Initiative is to empower New Yorkers to manage their energy use in a way that both supports the State’s clean energy goals and also reduces their bills,” said Jen Metzger, Director of Citizens for Local Power. “Lowering utility fixed charges must be part of this reform effort because high fixed charges prevent customers from realizing the savings that they should when they use less energy or install solar panels on their homes.”
Miles Farmer, a clean energy attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said: “For New York to lead in developing utility regulation for the future, it must end its practice of high unavoidable fixed charges and instead design utility rates to encourage customers to save energy and install advanced technologies that will help them use energy even smarter.”
“New York has an energy affordability crisis, where as much as 50% or more of energy consumers chronically struggle to pay their vital bills like heat, light or medicine, due in large part to high energy prices,” said Richard Berkley, Executive Director of the Public Utility Law Project of New York. “High fixed charges worsen those affordability problems for low- and fixed-income and low-usage customers, and they disincentivize conservation. Both of those results are contrary to the State’s low-income affordability program and REV program goals. This coalition is dedicated to lowering high fixed charges to address those affordability concerns for New York’s vulnerable households, and also to help the State meet its renewable energy goals by helping consumers get ‘more green for less green.’”
Nathan Phelps, Program Manager at Vote Solar, said: “Families and business owners should be reaping the benefits of solar and wind energy, which are more affordable than ever, especially compared to traditional fuels. Instead, New Yorkers pay unnecessarily high fixed fees on their utility bill, regardless of how much electricity they use. Instead of passing on savings to customers, New York utilities are making it more expensive for them to invest in private solar, efficiency, and other clean energy technology. This brand new resource will shed light and offer solutions to New York’s high customer fee problem.”
Media Contacts:
Cullen Howe, NY Director
chowe@acadiacenter.org, 212-256-1535 x501
Krysia Wazny, Communications Director
kwazny@acadiacenter.org, 617-742-0054 x107