(The Center Square) – The Big Apple’s first public utility “advocate” says she will push for clean and affordable energy policies in response to rising energy bills.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that he has appointed Annel Hernandez, an energy expert who has worked for city government. In the new role, she will coordinate with city agencies, local organizations and other stakeholders to reduce energy costs while also working to ensure the city meets its clean energy goals, the mayor said.
“Gas and electricity are not luxuries – they are basic necessities,” Mamdani said in a statement. “She [Annel Hernandez] will stand up to utility companies pocketing billions in profit at the expense of hard-working New Yorkers, push back against unjustified rate hikes and champion a clean energy future that lowers costs and improves people’s lives.”
Hernandez, who previously headed the clean energy team at the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, pledged to work to drive down utility bills and increase public participation in the regulatory process.
“Our energy grid powers our every day, and yet most New Yorkers feel disconnected or disempowered from shaping that very system,” she said in a statement.
To be sure, New York City already has a public advocate – currently held by Jumaane Williams – who serves as a watchdog for city government and is first in line to lead City Hall should the mayor step down.
New York’s electricity rates are the fourth highest in the nation, according to a recent Empire Center for Public Policy report, which blamed the state’s energy policies for the skyrocketing costs.
The Empire State’s energy consumers also pay above-average prices for residential natural gas, the center’s report found, which were 16% higher than the national average and ranked 15th highest among states.
New York is also among a small handful of states, including California and Washington, that have taken steps to restrict new natural gas hookups and pipelines as part of climate change policies.
That move prompted a lawsuit from construction and trade groups who claim it conflicts with federal regulations and will drive up costs for businesses and energy consumers.