More than 400,000 New York households lost gas or electric service last year because they couldn’t pay their bills, according to state records cited in a recent report.
In his weekly column for February 16, State Sen. Tom O’Mara points to that number as proof that energy costs have reached a breaking point for many families.
O’Mara cites a February 5 article in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that reported 408,898 households had their service shut off in 2025. He calls skyrocketing utility costs the top concern his office has heard from constituents over the past two years.
He argues that decisions coming out of Albany have made the state unaffordable for everyday New Yorkers. He specifically criticizes the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, known as the CLCPA, which lawmakers approved in 2019.
O’Mara says the state’s direction on energy under the CLCPA is not affordable, feasible, or reliable.
He also points to a village-wide power outage in Watkins Glen on February 7. The Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office said the outage was caused by an overload to the system due to extreme cold temperatures and increased use of electric heat.
At the Capitol last week, O’Mara joined Senate Republican colleagues to promote a legislative package called “Affordable Energy, Not Albany Mandates.” The plan aims to address what they describe as some of the highest energy rates in the nation.
O’Mara says residential electricity rates in New York stand 50% higher than the national average and rose 7.6% in the past year. Since the CLCPA took effect, he says electricity rates have increased 45%.
The package includes legislation O’Mara sponsors that would require surplus or unspent ratepayer funds in NYSERDA’s Climate Investment Account to return to customers as a bill credit. He says NYSERDA’s 2025 Financial Plan showed $2.4 billion in unspent funds at the end of the fiscal year.
Another bill, called the “Ratepayer Disclosure and Transparency Act,” would require monthly reports detailing the estimated or actual costs and benefits of mandated state energy programs, including CLCPA compliance costs.
The broader plan also calls for a one-year utility bill tax and surcharge holiday and a two-year green energy tax holiday. Other measures would repeal the system benefit charge and several mandates, including the All-Electric School Bus mandate, the All-Electric Buildings Act mandate, and the Electric Vehicle mandate.
One proposal would repeal the CLCPA and replace it with a new THRIVE Council, which O’Mara says would focus on affordability, grid reliability, and economic stability.
O’Mara says New Yorkers need immediate relief and that the current energy strategy risks higher costs and grid instability.
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