Latest news with #RG&E
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Metro Justice and allies rally at City Hall against RG&E Thursday
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — On Thursday, members of Metro Justice and the Rochester for Energy Democracy (RED) Campaign gathered at Rochester City Hall to rally against Rochester Gas & Electric. Organizers said the rally was held to call out the RG&E audit and the company's connection to the Chamber of Commerce. Metro Justice members said the audit shows dramatic security and compliance concerns, in addition to a lack of planning and leadership. Demonstrators said they want the City Council and Mayor Malik Evans' administration to use reserved funds to commission a Phase 1 study to replace RG&E with a public utility. Monroe County and the Mayor's Office have previously refused to commit to doing a study due to the cost. It was revealed on Thursday morning that RG&E has failed again to meet the requirements of customer service standards by the New York State Public Service Commission. They will now be required to pay a $9.8 million fine. News 8 spoke to both RG&E and Metro Justice at the rally on Thursday. 'This notion of government-controlled power would be terrible for the people of Rochester, it would result in exorbitant costs for things like property taxes. It would increase, I mean, the cost associated with buying out the infrastructure would be really difficult for people here in the city. It would take away vital services the city has,' Michael Baggerman, communications manager for RG&E said of Metro Justice's ask. 'The audit was honestly extremely shocking; it is even worse than we thought. There's all the things we knew about all of the like billing errors, the customer service, tjeu're cooking their books, but also a huge amount of negligence putting customers in danger with gas leaks, and cybersecurity, lack of cyber security, but also really that they don't actually even plan at the utility level,' said campaign and policy coordinator of Metro Justice, Dr. Michi Wenderlich. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RG&E and Arc of Monroe relaunch collaborative program to employ individuals with disabilities
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A collaborative program between RG&E and the Arc of Monroe announced its relaunch on Thursday. The Investment Recovery Program, launched in 1992, has been reintroduced to provide resources for employment support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Greater Rochester area. 'This program was successful 33 years ago, and we want to continue providing support and offering a positive experience,' Tracy Selby, coordinator of the Investment Recovery Program, said. Golisano institute's inaugural AI class graduating, ready for year two The program supports the work of The Arc of Monroe's Job Path program and the organization's effort to empower individuals with disabilities to live integrated lives and build community. The Job Path program is recognized as the first program to provide employment services for individuals with disabilities living in Western New York. 'It's partnerships like these that help The Arc of Monroe further its mission. We want to see the people that we support thrive in the communities they live in. The program gives them the opportunity to gain new skills and take part in competitive employment,' said the Director of Business Relations for Arc of Monroe's Job Path, Luke Mayo. Two participants from the Arc of Monroe participate in the Investment Recovery Program and work at RG&E's Scottsville Road facility. Their tasks include sorting different metals from utility poles for recycling five days a week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NYS audit suggests Avangrid/NYSEG's practices result in higher costs, worse service quality for customers
NEW YORK STATE, (WETM) — New York State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG) along with Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RG&E), both owned by Avangrid, were found to have possibly violated several regulations or orders from the New York State Public Service Commission regarding costs, customer service, electric quality, and more, according to a release from the Commission. The audit showed that Avangrid, a company providing services to 1.3 million customers and gas to 591,000 customers in New York State, used a complex corporate structure making it hard to track costs to NYSEG and RG&E. These findings could indicate that customers lack the necessary transparency to know if they're being charged more for services than they should be. The auditor recommended that NYSEG and RG&E simplify the cost process. This is just one of 128 recommendations listed in the final draft of the audit started in 2023 by a third-party auditor of the companies. These recommendations focused on ways to provide value to NYSEG and RG&E's customers. Proposed school budgets for 2025-26 school year in the Southern Tier The Commission ordered the companies to file a response plan to the audit within 30 days. Additionally, the Commission is requiring a response to allegations of the companies breaking PSC rules. The utilities were issued a notice of apparent violations (NOAV) which stemmed from the staff's review of information about the utilities' recent operations, giving the companies 21 days to respond to these allegations. As for the other notable recommendations and potential violations from the auditor, the assessment found that despite having cybersecurity systems the system is not advancing as it should despite the cost increases. The auditor recommended steps be made to put in better cybersecurity planning and reporting. Another area of concern was the company's electric operations. The audit said Avangrid hadn't implemented proper management software and still relies on spreadsheets. This understanding of asset management contributed to NYSEG's poor elect reliability performance, according to the audit. The audit recommended that Avengrid install a proper asset management system for NYSEG and RG&E. The audit found issues with how the company handles customer services as well. The audit reported that Avangrid had issues with how it handled invoices, and notes it doesn't have appropriate controls for customer service outsourcing, among other things. The auditor recommended that Avangrid update its customer service performance indicator process documentation, create a formal override process, and enhance quality control. The companies have until June 18, 2025, to file their implementation plans. From there the plans will be reviewed by the staff to make sure the plans address the findings from the audit and the auditor's recommendations. Park Station hours and prices announced for 2025 It should be mentioned that the findings from this audit are different from the ongoing audit announced by Governor Kathy Hochul in February 2025. That audit follows years of work to examine utility management structures and seeks to align utility priorities with state objectives. That audit is part of an effort from Governor Hochul's office to fight rising utility costs and protect New York consumers. 18 News reached out to NYSEG for comment on the audit. A statement from NYSEG reports that it is reviewing the audit and is looking forward to responding to the Commission. The company reported numerous changes that address some of the issues listed above. NYSEG and RG&E stand by our record of investing millions in upgrading hundreds of gas lines across our service areas supported by rigorous, ongling inspections performed by our dedicated field crews. We have changed our management structure in NYSEG and RG&E, with staff with only New York responsibilities reporting directly to the New York CEO and President to better serve the specific needs of our operating companies. As a result, our customer service and billing performance has also seen significant improvement. Hundreds of new team members have been added, less than one percent of the 3 million bills issued require any adjustments, and customer service has slashed wait times to less than 30 seconds. Regarding any notice of potential violations, we look forward to responding with clear facts that will show our companies have fully complied with all laws, Commission orders, and regulations. These are real actions with real positive results for our customers, and we firmly stand behind our record, our people, and our continued commitment to delivering safe, reliable energy to millions of New Yorkers every day. Statement from NYSEG Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Final audit report: RG&E required to respond by June 9
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Public Service Commission has released the final report of an audit of NYSEG and RG&E on Monday. In September 2023, the PCS used an independent, third-party auditor to perform an audit of RG&E and NYSEG. PCS said the auditor submitted a draft audit report, which has now been finalized, making 128 recommendations for the companies. Notable findings in the audit include cost allocations and service level agreements, performance management and incentive compensation, physical cyber security, electric operations, and customer operations. Some of the allegations include subjective incentive payouts, understanding of asset management, poor electric reliability, and inaccurate customer service performance metrics. Both companies are now required to respond to the allegations by June 9. Once submitted, the department staff will review the implementation plans to ensure that they plan to address the underlying findings and recommendations in the audit report. Following the review, the plans will be submitted for public comment. Following the staff's review, public comment, and refinement from RG&E and NYSEG, the plans will be presented to the commission for approval or modification. The company's response to the NOAV will also be reviewed to determine if any additional enforcement is needed. PCS noted that this audit is separate and apart from the utility management compensation audit announced by Governor Kathy Hochul in February. The companies combined serve 1.3 million customers electric and 591,00 customers gas in New York State. Full statement from RG&E: We respect the hard work of the Public Service Commission (PSC). We are currently reviewing and evaluating the Management Audit Report and today's management audit order issued by the Commission and look forward to responding. NYSEG and RG&E stand by our record of investing millions in upgrading hundreds of gas lines across our service areas supported by rigorous, ongoing inspections performed by our dedicated field crews. We have changed our management structure in NYSEG and RG&E, with staff with only New York responsibilities reporting directly to the New York CEO and President to better serve the specific needs of our operating companies. As a result, our customer service and billing performance has also seen significant improvement. Hundreds of new team members have been added, less than one percent of the 3 million bills issued require any adjustments, and customer service has slashed wait times to less than 30 seconds. Regarding any notice of potential violation, we look forward to responding with clear facts that will show our companies have fully complied with all laws, Commission orders, and regulations. These are real actions with real positive results for our customers, and we firmly stand behind our record, our people, and our continued commitment to delivering safe, reliable energy to millions of New Yorkers every day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Audit alleges NYSEG violations
(WIVT/WBGH) – A third-party audit of NYSEG and its sister company RG&E has resulted in a long list of recommendations and some possible violations. The New York State Public Service Commission ordered the audit in September 2023 as part of its investigation into alleged mismanagement of NYSEG's utility billing systems. According to the PSC, parent company Avangrid underspends on its asset management, contributing to poor electric reliability performance. The auditor also found that Avangrid does not have appropriate controls for the outsourcing of its customer service and that its customer service performance reports have been inaccurate. News 34 reached out to Avangrid to request a response. Click here to read the full news release. New York State DOT remembers fallen highway workers Willow Point appoints new administrator, increases wages for workers Audit alleges NYSEG violations JCC makes reading fun with Literacy Day TCO's annual Opera and Beer event returning this week Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
