Formal request to Public Service Commission for full review, read the county resolution
From Steuben County,
Bath, NY — The Steuben County Legislature adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and comprehensive review of rapidly escalating electric delivery charges impacting residents, seniors, and small businesses across the county.
Local ratepayers are facing unsustainable and compounding increases in their electric bills—driven not by higher usage, but by rising delivery charges, fees, and approved rate adjustments. These growing costs are placing a serious strain on household budgets and the local economy, particularly in rural communities like Steuben County.
The resolution formally urges the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) to take immediate action by investigating delivery charges, strengthening cost controls, and enforcing greater transparency in how utility rates are set and approved.
“Part of the PSC responsibility is to ensure that our electric service is done at just and reasonable rates,” said Chair Fitzpatrick of the Steuben County Legislature. “What is currently happening in our state is making utility bills completely unaffordable to families. This must be investigated.”
The Legislature is also calling on the PSC to prioritize affordability, require measurable cost-containment efforts from NYSEG, and put an end to unjustified rate increases that disproportionately impact rural and low-density communities.
The resolution represents a unified stand to protect residents and ensure that utility pricing remains fair, reasonable, and sustainable for all.
Full Resolution Shown Below:
RESOLUTION
STEUBEN COUNTY LEGISLATURE
BATH, NEW YORK
INTRO. NO.: 27
INTRO. DATE: March 23, 2026
INTRO. BY: K.M. Hanna
TITLE: MEMORIALIZING THE NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION TO IMMEDIATELY REVIEW ELECTRIC DELIVERY CHARGES, DEMANDING IMPROVED COST CONTROLS AND TRANSPARENCY REGARDING THE ESCALATING COST OF ELECTRICITY.
WHEREAS, residents, seniors, and small businesses in Steuben County are experiencing unsustainable, repeated, and compounding increases in electric bills that are placing a growing financial strain on households and the local economy; and
WHEREAS, a substantial portion of these increases is attributable not to increased energy consumption, but to escalating delivery charges, fees, and approved rate adjustments imposed by NYSEG; and
WHEREAS, electric delivery charges and rate structures are regulated and approved by the New York State Public Service Commission, which is statutorily charged with ensuring that utility rates are just, reasonable, and affordable for ratepayers; and
WHEREAS, rural and low-density communities are disproportionately impacted by delivery charge increases and cost-recovery mechanisms that fail to adequately account for affordability, equity, and the cumulative burden placed on ratepayers; and
WHEREAS, the continued approval of rate increases without stronger cost controls, greater transparency, and meaningful affordability protections is unacceptable and contrary to the public interest.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Steuben County Legislature formally and strongly urges the New York State Public Service Commission to conduct a thorough and immediate review of electric delivery charges, rate increases, and cost-recovery practices applicable to NYSEG customers; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Steuben County Legislature calls upon the Public Service Commission to prioritize ratepayer affordability, demand greater transparency from NYSEG, and require demonstrable cost-containment and operational efficiency measures before approving any future rate increases; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Steuben County Legislature expressly opposes continued or automatic rate increases that shift rising operational, infrastructure, and administrative costs onto ratepayers without clear justification or adequate protection for rural communities.
