Healthy businesses are the lifelines of thriving communities. From small “mom-and-pop” shops to large corporations, these businesses shape our neighborhoods, cities, and regions. They provide essential goods and services while also generating growth, innovation, and employment opportunities, and when it comes to a strong economy, our elected officials should engage in thoughtful leadership and promote growth and economic expansion. They must balance the needs of everyone while giving important consideration to appropriate, pro-business policies related to over-regulation and high taxes.
One area where policy is particularly important is when it comes to energy, and how public policy impacts ratepayers. When I came into office I did not know nearly as much about utility operations as I do now. Most people do not realize that large portions of your utility bill are not increases driven by the utility, but taxes and mandates imposed by politicians. Some 25 percent of your current bill is costs and mandates from the State of New York as well as subsidies for developers of current projects paid by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Those costs are, according to credible estimates, only going to grow as the requirements from the state climate legislation and accompanying emissions reductions kick in. Who is it that gave us these policies? Many of the same politicians flogging utility rate increases today. Attacking a utility company is like shooting fish in a barrel. It takes no great political skill to figure out that few consumers understand energy policy and even fewer know the nefarious role government plays in utility costs. All they know is that they get a bill, the bill is expensive, and the name on the top is that of the utility company. It’s simple for politicians to ignore their role in the increasing rates and blame the utility company in order to score cheap points. The maintenance and building of electric and gas infrastructure is expensive and the truth is that the cost increases in the utility sector that are leading to larger-than-normal rate increase requests are not driven by utility companies, but rather, by politicians and the policies they support. While I do support some aspects of New York’s climate legislation, I oppose some as well due mainly to the very high costs passed along to already overburdened families. Politicians must take some responsibility for their votes, decisions, and philosophies which are impacting our utility bills. It’s not fair to create a problem and then try to take credit for fixing it, which is precisely what many elected officials are doing when it comes to skyrocketing utility costs. Don’t let them get away with it.
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