Utility giant National Grid’s request for whopping double-digit electric and gas rate hikes upstate is another reminder of the grim impact of the state’s “transformative” Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, pushed into law by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2019.
This latest round — the highest increases the utility has proposed in some 35 years — comes atop warnings of looming blackouts this summer.
Last May, National Grid proposed a hefty 17% hike for Big Apple customers while blaming the state’s climate targets and inflation. While regulators ponder that ask, the utility now seeks to up upstate electric and gas prices, 15% and 20%, respectively.