Assemblyman Josh Jensen (R,C-Greece) today joined his colleagues in the Minority Conference to express serious concerns over New York’s current energy policies and their impacts on communities across the state.

“Families and small businesses are feeling the pinch of skyrocketing utility bills,” Jensen said. “Since 2019, utility bills have increased by nearly 50%, and these increases are not sustainable for working families or employers trying to stay afloat.”

Recent winter storms have driven energy prices to historic highs, which adds pressure on household budgets and business operations, particularly as many are still navigating broader economic challenges. Jensen emphasized the need for a balanced approach that considers affordability, reliability and long-term sustainability, not an approach that picks winners and losers in providing needed power on the state’s electrical grid.

To combat these financial strains on New Yorkers, Jensen, alongside the Minority Conference, is proposing common sense policy proposals that would provide much needed relief. This would include requiring that any surplus funds remaining in NYSERDA’s Climate Investment Account at the end of the year will be returned to utility ratepayers through rebate checks, halting the zero-emission school bus mandate, stopping the natural gas ban, and requiring more transparency from energy suppliers and reinvestment into gas plants.

“Our community does not have the grid space for an energy approach that relies on only solar or wind; it is just not practical for the people of Greece, Ogden and Parma. The state mustcommit to policies that deliver real relief, ensure energy reliability and protect New Yorkers from being overburdened,” Jensen added. “The state’s energy agenda must work for the people, not against them.”

Jensen and the Minority Conference said they will continue to advocate for policies that address rising costs and provide stability for New York residents and businesses.