POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 6, 2026) –  Members of the Senate Republican Conference, including New York State Senator Rob Rolison (39th District), sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul urging the inclusion of two pieces of legislation in the enacted budget that would provide real utility relief at a time when New Yorkers desperately need it.

The first piece of legislation, S.8463, introduced by Senator Rob Rolison, would establish a one-year utility bill tax and surcharge holiday and a two-year green energy gas tax holiday, which would provide not only immediate, but real and meaningful relief to ratepayers who are paying residential electric rates 50% higher than the national average.

The second, S.8461A, introduced by Senator Tom O’Mara, would provide nearly $3 billion in bill credits to ratepayers using unspent funds collected from ratepayers by NYSERDA and utilities with PSC approval for green energy projects. The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget and Financial Plan for NYSERDA detailed that NYSERDA had a total net position of $2,045,624,000 at the end of 2025. There was also $770 million being held in escrow by utilities for requisition by NYSERDA at the end of 2025 per the Department of Public Service.

“New Yorkers are looking for relief they can actually feel in their monthly bills. That’s why it’s critical we take immediate action to ease the burden on families by advancing real solutions like a utility tax holiday and returning excess funds back to ratepayers. These proposals are practical, targeted, and ready to go—and they belong in this year’s budget. Every day we delay is another day New Yorkers are forced to shoulder unnecessarily high energy costs,” said Senator Rob Rolison, SD 39th.

The call for the inclusion of these pieces of legislation in the final enacted budget comes on the heels of a recent report from NYSERDA warning of increases in utility costs in order to keep up with the green energy mandates laid out in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). 

“The amount of unspent funds collected by NYSERDA has grown significantly since Comptroller DiNapoli first pointed to this overcollection in his July 2024 report New York State’s Clean Energy Fund. These funds should not continue to be held to protect against the volatility of collections particularly as the collections are continuous and replenish needed funds. These funds have no impact on the proposed state budget,” the letter reads.