With state regulators officially approving a new three-year rate hike for National Grid this week, lawmakers are ramping up calls for Governor Kathy Hochul to sign legislation that could ease some of the financial burden on utility customers.
The rate plan, approved unanimously by the Public Service Commission on August 14, will raise the average monthly energy bill for upstate New Yorkers by $25 over the next three years. It’s a move that critics say will hit working families the hardest — especially as many are already behind on their bills.
Assemblymember Gabriella Romero called the hike “another blow” to struggling New Yorkers and pointed to a policy she says makes the problem worse: the state’s long-standing “100-foot rule.”
That rule, which lawmakers voted to repeal earlier this year, requires utilities to provide gas line extensions up to 100 feet from existing infrastructure at no upfront cost to the customer — and then spread those costs to all ratepayers. Opponents call it a hidden subsidy for gas expansion that inflates bills statewide.
“Everyday people are already struggling to pay energy bills they cannot afford, and now National Grid wants to make it even harder to get by,” Romero said in a statement. “Repealing the 100-foot rule is an easy, common-sense way for the Governor to save New Yorkers money.”
The legislation to end the 100-foot rule is now sitting on Governor Hochul’s desk. Advocates estimate its repeal would save New Yorkers roughly $200 million every year.
During Thursday’s hearing, PSC Chair Rory Christian acknowledged that policies like the 100-foot rule are contributing to rising costs, saying “policymakers must step up” to fix outdated regulations.
The rate hike approved for National Grid — which serves 2.4 million customers in upstate New York — includes both electric and natural gas increases. Residential electric customers using an average of 625 kilowatt-hours per month will see monthly bills rise by $14.32 in year one, $6.44 in year two, and $4.34 in year three. Gas customers using 78 therms per month will see increases of $7.66, $8.08, and $9.18 respectively.
Meanwhile, an estimated 1.2 million households across the state are already two or more months behind on their energy bills, according to the Alliance for a Green Economy. One in four New York households is considered energy-burdened.
Romero and other lawmakers say that if the Governor is serious about addressing affordability, climate goals, and energy justice, repealing the 100-foot rule is a logical place to start.
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