Energy Surcharge Rips Off New Yorkers, Stringer Says
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer said on Sunday that New Yorkers are being ripped off by a surcharge on their Con Ed bills.
Stringer said that a "little-known surcharge" has taken $342 million from the city via Con Ed bills for renewable energy projects, but less than $8 million in jobs has been returned to the city.
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Instead, the money has gone to projects like a wind farm in Pennsylvania and a hydro energy project in Quebec, Stringer said.
"We've been funding this pool for year—some $350 million we've contributed to as New York City residents," he said, adding that it's a ripoff. "We only get 1 percent of those renewable projects."
Stringer added that those projects generated $2.1 billion for the economy in those areas and not for New York City.
Stringer wants a bigger portion of that fund spent here in New York City on clean energy projects like solar power.
Con Ed spokesman Allan Drury agreed, but said the company doesn't control how the funds it collects are spent. Those decisions, Drury said, are made by state agencies.
"We would like to see more of the money coming to the downstate region, and have been in touch with NYSERDA and the PSC about that," Drury said, referring to two agencies.
