skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Opposition Building to Gas Rate Hike

play audio
Play

Tuesday, October 4, 2016   

ALBANY, N.Y. – Long Island residents soon could see a big bump up in their natural gas bills, but consumer advocates say that will strain tight budgets for older and low-income New Yorkers. The Public Service Commission is considering a request from National Grid for a 24 percent hike in gas delivery rates on Long Island over three years.

But according to Bill Ferris, state legislative representative for AARP New York, a survey of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers on the island found they're already stretched thin.

"As high as 55 percent of people living on Long Island are concerned about paying their utility bill," he explained. "And now, they're actually raising the rates more, and we don't think that's a good idea."

The Public Service Commission accepts comments on the rate hike proposal through Nov. 18.

National Grid estimates the increase would cost the average customer almost $200 a year more. Long Island already has some of the highest utility rates in the country, and Ferris said a big increase would hit people on fixed incomes the hardest.

"We don't think that's acceptable," he added. "We think the Public Service Commission and National Grid can do a better job on rate design, and lower these rates for people on Long Island."

Ferris said more than 5,000 AARP members have written or called the Public Service Commission opposing the plan.

Con Ed, which supplies electricity to New York City and Westchester County, wants to raise its rates as well. Ferris thinks the PSC is doing a good job looking over the raw data on these requests, but needs to pay more attention to the impact on consumers.

"We think that they have to do more work to make these rate designs more affordable to people, especially the low-income people," Ferris explained.

The Public Service Commission is expected to release its final decision on the National Grid rate-increase request in December.

The AARP's letter to the New York State Public Service is here.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021