RILEY OPPOSES NYSEG’S PROPOSED RATE INCREASE

Marc Molinaro Silent After Receiving Campaign Cash From NYSEG

ITHACA, N.Y. — This summer, Upstate New York’s energy monopoly, and top Marc Molinaro donor, New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), proposed a massive 22% increase in utility rates.  That increase could lead to a $350 annual increase in energy bills for families across Upstate New York. NYSEG’s parent company, corporate giant Avangrid, bragged about the increase on a July call with investors after reporting more than $2.5 billion in profits in the first half of 2023 alone. 

Despite the massive financial burden the proposed rate hike would impose on his constituents, Congressman Marc Molinaro has failed to stand up to NYSEG and obtain financial relief for ratepayers. Molinaro’s inaction is hardly surprising considering he’s accepted more than $20,000 in campaign cash from PACs and lobbying firms representing NYSEG and NYSEG’s parent company, including a $4,000 check from Avangrid just two weeks after NYSEG proposed the latest rate increase. In fact, instead of trying to block the rate increase, Molinaro has attacked the very regulators who could reject it.

Unlike Molinaro, Democratic Congressional Candidate Josh Riley does not accept corporate PAC money, and he’s fighting for consumers. In a letter to regulators this summer, Riley urged the Public Service Commission to reject NYSEG’s proposed rate increase, arguing it would impose a substantial financial burden on folks across this congressional district, particularly seniors on fixed incomes.

“Career politician Marc Molinaro cashed NYSEG’s checks, and now he’s looking the other way while they jack up rates and screw Upstate New Yorkers,” Riley said. “I’ll never sell out Upstate New York, and I’ll always fight for workers, consumers, seniors, and small businesses who just can’t afford another price hike.”

“My house is 100% electric, and this would have a huge impact on my budget,” said Carl E., in Roxbury. “The system is working great for Marc Molinaro and the energy companies signing his checks while making massive profits, but not for the rest of us.”

“This is money coming out of the pockets of Upstate New Yorkers and straight into Marc Molinaro’s campaign coffers,” said Bawadden Sayed, spokesperson from End Citizens United, a group working to fix America’s broken campaign finance system. “Corporations like NYSEG are spending a fortune to buy influence with Marc Molinaro, and Upstate New Yorkers are paying the price.”

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Josh Riley is an Ithaca resident and a fifth-generation Broome County native. He previously served as counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and is now running for Congress in New York’s 19th District.