Public Power

To build a clean energy economy in the Mid-Hudson, we must take our power back from utility monopolies.

Communities for Local Power protesting on a street corner, holding signs that say "Public Power Now," "Make Shareholders Pay," and "Cancel Utility Debt." There are trees in the background and a Wall St sign visible.
A peaceful outdoor rally by CLP in a park with a sign reading 'PUBLIC POWER NOW,' visible among the crowd. A person is speaking into a microphone on a stage or platform surrounded by green trees, and several people are gathered to listen.
Communities for Local Power rally with a prominent sign reading 'CANCEL UTILITY DEBT' and another sign partially visible about monopolies. Trees and a speaker are in the background.

Build Public Renewable Act (BPRA) & Implementation in the Hudson Valley

BPRA is a nation-leading climate and green jobs bill passed by New York State in 2023. New York passed leading climate legislation in 2019 when it enacted the CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act), but it relies on for-profit utility corporations to meet its climate goals. As we have seen through the Central Hudson rate case, utilities cannot be relied on to take the transition to a clean energy economy seriously, because they have a strong investment in the fossil fuel industry. BPRA presents a solution to this problem.

BPRA enables the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to build publicly owned, 100% renewable energy projects. With this legislation, we can develop renewable energy in our communities. It will create thousands of green union jobs due to its prevailing wage requirements, something that won over labor in the fight for this bill. BPRA will also provide cheaper energy to low-income New Yorkers, through the implementation of the bill credit program (REACH).

Through both our work with Energy Democracy Alliance and our legislature-appointed role with Ulster County’s Renewable Energy Implementation Plan Group, CLP is helping to identify opportunities for new NYPA-funded renewable projects to be built in the Hudson Valley, and we are aiming to facilitate the process and educate municipalities in and around the Kingston area so that they can begin the project proposal process.

Hudson Valley Power Authority Act

In the face of Central Hudson’s major failures to our community, the call for public power has never been more important. In the Central Hudson rate case, CLP has observed firsthand the way in which our utilities fight to maintain outdated gas infrastructure, saddle community members with higher bills, refuse accountability for billing errors, and continue the status quo in which they are unaccountable to our communities. Central Hudson is the lowest ranked utility in the state, for good reason, and in our various rate case briefs and testimony in 2023 and 2024, CLP has stated that a public takeover of the utility is a long yet worthy path to pursue.

For reasons similar to ours, in late spring 2024, Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha and Senator Michelle Hinchey launched the Hudson Valley Power Authority Act. The bill will create a new state power authority that is authorized to acquire Central Hudson and run it as a publicly-owned and democratic energy utility whose primary goal is to be in service of its ratepayers. It will provide lower rates, reliable service, accurate and easy to understand bills, clean energy, and environmental justice. This is a bill we have supported since day one of its launch. Our current energy system is not working for ordinary people and we need an alternative.

A group of people representing Communities for Local Power standing outside holding signs that read 'Power for the People.' A person at a podium is speaking into microphones, with a sign mentioning the Hudson Valley Power Authority Act.

CLP spoke in support of the Hudson Valley Power Authority act at the launch of the bill at the AD 103 Office in Kingston, New York alongside Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, Senator Michelle Hinchey, and Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger.

Related Press Coverage: 

Outdoor protest with signs reading "Debt Forgiveness," "No Shut-Offs," and "Bill Forgiveness." Communities for Local Power participants hold large signs on a paved area surrounded by greenery, with a camera on a tripod recording the event.