Newlin reports on new power rates for Lewiston residents

Lewiston Porter Sentinel, September 8, 2007
by Fred Newlin
Town of Lewiston Supervisor

As many of you know, I have spent a good deal of the last four years negotiating with the New York Power Authority for reduced electrical rates for Lewiston residents.

I am glad to report that we have been very successful, and as a result will become the only member of the Niagara Power Coalition who will send the benefits directly on to you, the resident. While some people said this could never be done, we are glad we proved them wrong. In the final analysis, Lewiston will be receiving more from the Power Authority than any other town, city or village in the state of New York as a result of relicensing.

For the next 50 years Lewiston and its citizens will finally see some reduction in their electrical bills. In addition to the reduction in our families’ power rates, Lewiston will be receiving at least $1.36 million from the Power Authority each year, which will help pay for projects like road repairs and better parks, making Lewiston an even better place to live, and lessening the burden on our taxpayers.

The agreement that I signed last year with the Power Authority was to go into effect this Sept. 1, with residents seeing their first bill reduction their October bills.

In the last two weeks, as a result of negotiations with National Grid, I have been able to move that schedule up by one month. Now, Lewiston residents should be seeing the first hydropower credit on any bill issued from National Grid after Sept. 4. The average credit this month will range from $23 to $27, and there will be some variations. Each month, the credit amount will be different, depending on the electrical usage for that month and the price of power. For example, May is the month we usually use the least amount of electricity in our homes, so the credit that month will be smaller, while during a high usage month like December, the credit will be a bit larger.

Since Lewiston is the only place to reduce residential electrical rates as a result of the Power Authority’s relicensing process, in a lot of ways, we are pioneers. With nearly 20,000 residents and more than 6,500 homes, there is a chance that National Grid’s billing system will make a mistake and some people will not get a credit off of their bills when they should. If you find that you are not getting a credit on your September bill, and you live in the Town of Lewiston (Village of Lewiston and that part of Sanborn within the town) contact my office so we can help correct any error. My phone number at Town Hall is 754-8213, Ext. 224, and I’ll be glad to help you get the credit you deserve.