NYSEG responds to Chemung County Legislator's call for investigation into company
On Saturday, March 29, Chemung County Legislator Rodney Strange used his Facebook page to call for a state-level investigation into NYSEG's operations.
The company was quick to respond to Strange's remarks. Director of Corporate Communications for NYSEG, Shelby Cohen dismissed his claims and urged customers to seek accurate information directly from NYSEG rather than relying on social media posts.
Chemung County Legislator calls for special investigation into NYSEG
'We feel it's unfortunate that some have decided to ignore the facts and the information that has been provided to them, and chosen to make a confusing situation worse, with seditious social media posts that only serve to misinform customers rather than getting them the assistance that they need,' Cohen said.
Cohen explained that recent increases in customers' bills are due to colder temperatures, leading to higher energy usage, combined with rising supply costs — factors that are out of NYSEG's control.
'The fact is, the increase in bills over the past few months has been the result of colder temperatures that haven driven increased usage, combined with higher supply costs which are unregulated,' Cohen said.
Cohen also pointed to social media platforms like Facebook and Nextdoor as sources of misinformation about the company's billing and services.
DEC to review wildlife protection and enforcement process after seizure of Peanut the squirrel
'We're seeing a lot of misinformation being spread in these social media groups, on Facebook and Nextdoor primarily. We really encourage people to come to us with their questions on their bills,' explained Cohen. 'Very often we're able to either help them understand where they might be using more than they realize or talk to them about different rate plans, talk to them about different suppliers that might work for them. Very often these things are very easily resolvable and so we really encourage them to reach out to us or go to our website for information and our social media channels,' she said.
Addressing another common concern, Cohen clarified that NYSEG's smart meters are not responsible for rising energy bills, as some customers have claimed. She explained that the primary difference between smart meters and the older meters is how energy usage is reported.
'Smart meters are not the cause of increased bills. Smart meters work just like legacy or traditional meters, they measure the energy that you use in your home,' said Cohen. 'They just read themselves and send us the read every hour rather than us coming out every other month to read your meter,' she said.
18 News reached out to Legislator Rodney Strange on Tuesday, April 1, for comment on his social media statements but did not receive a response.
As the commotion over NYSEG's billing practices continue, the company urges customers to contact them directly for assistance rather than relying on other social media discussions.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Qatar threatened to cut EU LNG supplies over sustainability law, letter shows
By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Qatar has threatened to cut gas supplies to the European Union in response to the bloc's due diligence law on forced labour and environmental damage, a letter from Qatar to the Belgian government, seen by Reuters, showed. Qatar is the world's third-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), after the United States and Australia. It has provided between 12% and 14% of Europe's LNG since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In a letter to the Belgian government dated May 21, Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said the country was reacting to the EU's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD), which requires larger companies operating in the EU to find and fix human rights and environmental issues in their supply chains. "Put simply, if further changes are not made to CSDDD, the State of Qatar and QatarEnergy will have no choice but to seriously consider alternative markets outside of the EU for our LNG and other products, which offer a more stable and welcoming business environment," said the letter. A spokesperson for Belgium's representation to the EU declined to comment on the letter, which was first reported by German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. The European Commission also received a letter from Qatar, dated May 13, a Commission spokesperson told Reuters, noting that EU lawmakers and countries are currently negotiating changes to the CSDDDD. "It is now for them to negotiate and adopt the substantive simplification changes proposed by the Commission," the spokesperson said. Brussels proposed changes to the CSDDD earlier this year to reduce its requirements - including by delaying its launch by a year, to mid-2028, and limiting the checks companies will have to make down their supply chains. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to 5% of global turnover. Qatar said the EU's changes had not gone far enough. In the letter, Kaabi said Qatar was particularly concerned about the CSDDD's requirement for companies have a climate change transition plan aligned with preventing global warming exceeding 1.5 celsius - the goal of the Paris Agreement. "Neither the State of Qatar nor QatarEnergy have any plans to achieve net zero in the near future," said the letter, which said the CSDDD undermined countries' right to set their own national contributions towards the Paris Agreement goals. In an annex to the letter, also seen by Reuters, Qatar proposed removing the section of CSDDD which includes the requirement for climate transition plans. Kaabi is also chief executive of QatarEnergy. Qatar Energy gas has long-term supply contracts with major European companies, including Shell, TotalEnergies and ENI.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Qatar threatened to cut EU LNG supplies over sustainability law, letter shows
By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Qatar has threatened to cut gas supplies to the European Union in response to the bloc's due diligence law on forced labour and environmental damage, a letter from Qatar to the Belgian government, seen by Reuters, showed. Qatar is the world's third-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), after the United States and Australia. It has provided between 12% and 14% of Europe's LNG since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In a letter to the Belgian government dated May 21, Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said the country was reacting to the EU's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD), which requires larger companies operating in the EU to find and fix human rights and environmental issues in their supply chains. "Put simply, if further changes are not made to CSDDD, the State of Qatar and QatarEnergy will have no choice but to seriously consider alternative markets outside of the EU for our LNG and other products, which offer a more stable and welcoming business environment," said the letter. A spokesperson for Belgium's representation to the EU declined to comment on the letter, which was first reported by German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. The European Commission also received a letter from Qatar, dated May 13, a Commission spokesperson told Reuters, noting that EU lawmakers and countries are currently negotiating changes to the CSDDDD. "It is now for them to negotiate and adopt the substantive simplification changes proposed by the Commission," the spokesperson said. Brussels proposed changes to the CSDDD earlier this year to reduce its requirements - including by delaying its launch by a year, to mid-2028, and limiting the checks companies will have to make down their supply chains. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to 5% of global turnover. Qatar said the EU's changes had not gone far enough. In the letter, Kaabi said Qatar was particularly concerned about the CSDDD's requirement for companies have a climate change transition plan aligned with preventing global warming exceeding 1.5 celsius - the goal of the Paris Agreement. "Neither the State of Qatar nor QatarEnergy have any plans to achieve net zero in the near future," said the letter, which said the CSDDD undermined countries' right to set their own national contributions towards the Paris Agreement goals. In an annex to the letter, also seen by Reuters, Qatar proposed removing the section of CSDDD which includes the requirement for climate transition plans. Kaabi is also chief executive of QatarEnergy. Qatar Energy gas has long-term supply contracts with major European companies, including Shell, TotalEnergies and ENI.
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Hong Kong police offer rewards for tips leading to the arrest of 19 overseas activists
HONG KONG — Hong Kong police announced rewards for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas-based activists for their roles in what they called a subversive organization abroad, accusing them of violating a national security law imposed by Beijing. Police said in a statement Friday that the group, Hong Kong Parliament, aimed to promote self-determination and establish a 'Hong Kong constitution,' alleging it was using illegal means to overthrow and undermine China's fundamental system or usurp the institutions in power in Hong Kong or Beijing. At the request of the police, the city's court issued arrest warrants for activists Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi, Victor Ho, Keung Ka-wai and 14 others. They are alleged to have organized or participated in an election abroad for the Hong Kong Parliament, as well as setting up or becoming members of the group. According to a Facebook statement by the group on June 30, its election drew some 15,700 valid votes through mobile app and online voting systems. It said the candidates and elected members came from various regions, including Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, the U.S., Canada and Britain. While the group calls itself Hong Kong Parliament, its electoral organizing committee was founded in Canada and its influence is limited. Police already offered 1 million Hong Kong dollars, or about $127,400, for information leading to the arrest of Yuen, Ho, Fok and Choi when previous arrest warrants were issued against them. For the other 15, rewards of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars were offered, and residents were urged to provide information about the case or the people. 'The investigation is still ongoing. If necessary, police will offer bounties to hunt down more suspects in the case,' police said. They also called on the wanted activists to stop their activities, saying that they hoped they 'will take this opportunity to return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in, rather than making more mistakes.' Yuen said in a Facebook Live broadcast that the election was not quite successful in drawing active participation, and that the police campaign would help the group rally support for the resistance movement. 'It helps us with a lot of advertising,' Yuen said. During the live chat with Yuen, Sasha Gong, another activist targeted by the bounties, accused Hong Kong of becoming a police state. She said she is a U.S. citizen and would report her case to the American authorities and lawmakers. Over the last two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for various activists based overseas, including former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui. Authorities also canceled the passports of some of them under a recent security law introduced to the city last year. The moves against overseas-based activists have drawn criticism from foreign governments, especially given the former British colony was promised that its Western-style civil liberties and semi-autonomy would be kept intact for at least 50 years when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a joint statement that the warrants and bounties on people living in Britain are 'another example of transnational repression,' and that the act encourages reckless behavior on U.K. soil. In March, the United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in 'transnational repression' and acts that threaten to further erode the city's autonomy. Beijing and Hong Kong contend that the national security laws were necessary for the city's stability. Hong Kong police have maintained that the Beijing-imposed law applies to permanent residents in Hong Kong who violate it abroad. In retaliation for the U.S. move, China in April said it would sanction American officials, lawmakers and leaders of nongovernmental organizations who it says have 'performed poorly' on Hong Kong issues. Leung writes for the Associated Press.
