Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Orange) today issued the following statement on the recently announced Orange and Rockland Utilities rate increase for Hudson Valley residents:
“Hudson Valley residents have received the short end of the stick as a result of another damaging rate hike imposed by O&R Utilities. This proposal is essentially a three-year budget buster for the bank accounts of working families in Rockland and Orange Counties, and is yet another example of how O&R remains out of touch with today’s economic realities. Instead of finding cost savings and greater efficiencies, O&R has decided to force its customers to pay for their failures.
“The Public Service Commission also shoulders the blame for allowing this proposal to go forward. Now is the time for drastic reform, and this latest incident further confirms we need greater transparency into the PSC’s decision-making ability. This is why I have introduced legislation in the Senate that would allow for all Public Service Commissioners to elected by the voting public, instead of beholden to the special interests.
“We cannot allow such rate hikes to continue or we risk driving residents out of the Hudson Valley. I will continue to fight against ill-conceived plans that do not represent the best interests of my constituents.”
