City Council Speaker Christine Quinn insisted yesterday that Con Edison fix its Sandy-ravaged infrastructure — without raising rates.
She made the demand in a letter to Con Edison CEO Kevin Burke and President Craig Ivey.
On Friday, Con Ed requested state legislators increase its customer gas and electric rates in a bid to collect $400 million dollars next year, mostly needed for repairs.
“Many New Yorkers are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy,” Quinn said.
“For a private company that New York City relies on for vital services to propose a rate increase now is a burden on city residents and an impediment to the recovery process.”
Quinn also said she wants to see a plan outlining how Con Ed will improve its infrastructure.
To guard its equipment from another hurricane, Con Ed asked the New York Public Service Commission if it could spend $1 billion over four years to build higher flood walls around facilities, put in flood-proof equipment in low-lying areas, reinforce overhead equipment, and put some overhead lines underground to limit storm outages.
“Although the economy is improving, we are still working diligently to hold down costs for our customers,” Ivey said in a statement.
“At the same time, the increased frequency and damage of storms assaulting our area presents a major challenge. We must invest in our systems in new ways to maintain the safe, reliable service our customers deserve.”