Advocates from Metro Justice’s Rochester for Energy Democracy Campaign, joined by several community organizations, held a rally May 31 to demand that the Public Service Commission deny RG&E’s proposed rate hikes.
The commission set temporary rates for New York State Electric & Gas Corporation and Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation on May 14 to protect customers from rate hikes.
According to officials from the commission, the temporary rates are substantially less than what the companies have requested.
The Department of Public Service says the temporary rate increases are expected to result in total bill impacts of 0.2% for NYSEG electric, 1.7% for NYSEG gas, 2.9% for RG&E electric and 1.2% for RG&E gas.
Proposed tariff changes filed on June 30, 2025, show that NYSEG and RG&E are seeking substantially higher rates.
DPS estimates that if RG&E’s proposed changes went into effect as filed, the requested increase in electric delivery revenues would be a monthly bill increase of $33.01.
The requested increase in gas delivery revenues would be a monthly bill increase of $18.87.
“Governor Hochul has directed DPS to thoroughly scrutinize every rate request to ensure any proposed increases are used to keep the lights on and undertake any necessary improvement to the grid and not to increase the profits of utilities and their shareholders,” DPS said in a statement. “The temporary rates imposed by the Public Service Commission in this case allow more time to do just that.”
The RED Campaign said they have spent the last 11 months building public pressure to demand the PSC reject RG&E’s proposed rate increase. For them, their continued pushback and advocacy contributed to the minimization of the rate increases.
Metro Justice Organizer Carlton Huff said in a statement that the fight against rate hikes and RG&E’s profiteering is far from over, but the PSC’s postponement of permanent rate hikes and institution of temporary increases that are a fraction of RG&E’s demands, is a win.
“By their own admission, this is the PSC responding to pressure from the general public and elected officials for whom we’ve made this a top-of-mind issue. We now have to keep the pressure on to stop permanent rate hikes and fight for a local, publicly owned utility that doesn’t try to nickel-and-dime our community,” Huff said in a statement.
The Rochester’s Sexual and Reproductive Justice Task Force advocated alongside the RED Campaign.
Jilian Quigley, co-director of the task force, said the New York State PSC must reject this rate increase and make clear that in Rochester, people will always come before profits.
“When corporations extract wealth from our communities while families go without, they are not simply affecting household budgets — they are shaping the most intimate decisions of people’s lives. They are determining who gets to have children, who gets to keep their families together, and who gets to stay in the communities they love,” Quigley said in a statement.
The Green Party of Monroe County was also in support of the Washington Square Park rally and expressed how there is a need for change in culture, not just locally, but globally. The party also described the need to replace RG&E for a publicly owned-and-run utility.
“Rochester Gas and Electric is part of an insatiable parasite named Iberdrola. Iberdrola made $7 billion in profit in 2025, but claims it needs more money from residents. Their allegiance is to their shareholders, not to their customers,” said Dave Sutliff-Atias, secretary of the Green Party of Monroe County, in a statement. “People who, by definition, rely on utilities to survive should be in control of those necessities. We don’t expect Iberdrola to give up their cash cow. And the PSC has shown no stomach for actually serving the public.”
Activists from Rochester DSA also pushed for the creation of a local public utility during the rally.
Aidan Smith, head of Rochester DSA’s Eco-Socialist Solidarity Group, said a local utility is needed instead of a utility that is owned by corporate millionaires in Spain.
“We need a utility that is owned and operated by the people of Rochester and Monroe County, our friends, families and neighbors,” Smith said. “We need a utility that cares more about keeping our neighbors’ houses warm and the lights on. We need public power now.”
RG&E released the following statement in response:
We are reviewing the New York Public Service Commission’s order establishing temporary rates for NYSEG and RG&E. As the process moves forward, we understand how important it is to keep energy bills affordable while continuing to invest in a safe, reliable, and resilient energy system.
Sustained investment in grid infrastructure helps rein in future costs and supports ongoing system reliability, particularly as New York’s communities and economies continue to grow. We will continue to engage thoughtfully and constructively as this process advances toward a final outcome.
Our position on government-controlled power remains unchanged. It would be the wrong move for Rochester, is not in the best interest of utility customers, and would not improve service.
Such an approach would place the burden on taxpayers to fund the billions of dollars required to acquire existing infrastructure—ultimately driving up costs, delaying critical grid improvements, and hindering progress toward a cleaner energy future.
RG&E remains focused on what matters most: investing in the communities we serve, enhancing the customer experience, and modernizing our energy infrastructure. We are committed to delivering the safe, reliable electric and natural gas service our customers expect and deserve.
— Kerria Weaver works as the Government and You reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and in Monroe County.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Regulators set lower temporary RG&E rates after public pressure
Reporting by Kerria Weaver, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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