As Temperatures Plummet in the Hudson Valley, Utility Costs Continue to Soar
“Things get really scary when you’re forced to start making decisions between paying rent, buying groceries, and keeping the heat on.” - Rochelle, Peekskill
HUDSON VALLEY, NEW YORK — As Hudson Valley residents are shoveling driveways and bundling up against the cold this week, there’s one common worry that thousands of families have hanging over their heads—the cost of heating their homes. Natural gas prices have soared over the past few weeks due to high demand, and New Yorkers continue to see utility rate hikes despite already paying some of the highest electricity costs in the country. At a time when 1 in 4 households are living paycheck to paycheck, and inflationary tariffs have left New Yorkers paying more for everything from rent and gas to clothes and groceries, the added burden of soaring energy costs is simply more than many can bear.
Last year, Congressman Mike Lawler helped to pass the Republican Tax Law, repealing a wide range of energy tax credits and raising already high utility costs for New Yorkers by an additional $140 a year by 2030 and $170 by 2035. Hudson Valley Congressman Josh Riley recently launched the Congressional Lowering Utility Bills Caucus in an effort to address the out-of-control energy affordability crisis, but Rep. Lawler has so far refused to join.
“Things get really scary when you’re forced to start making decisions between paying rent, buying groceries, and keeping the heat on,” said Rochelle, a single mother from Peekskill. “These are all necessities, they’re not luxuries, but prices keep going up, and it’s like I’m being squeezed from all sides. What am I supposed to do? Not heat my home and let my kids freeze? Any parent can tell you that that’s not an option. Congressman Lawler needs to do something to address the outrageous energy prices here in the Hudson Valley, and he needs to do it fast. Getting rid of the tariffs, restoring energy tax credits, anything to help ease the burden just a little bit.”
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
