Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday appointed New York City’s first-ever “public utility advocate,” a role that will be charged with pushing for clean and affordable energy for New Yorkers.
Energy expert Annel Hernandez, who has worked in various city policy roles for 15 years, will coordinate with city agencies, local organizations and other stakeholders to stave off rising energy costs while also working to ensure New York meets its clean energy transition goals, according to the mayor’s office.
In announcing the role, Mamdani’s office noted that New Yorkers pay some of the highest energy rates in the nation. The city comptroller’s office has pointed out the city’s grid is powered by around 90% dirty fossil fuels.
The appointment marks Mamdani’s latest step to bring down costs for New Yorkers. Last month, the city's Rent Guidelines Board made good on the mayor's campaign promise to freeze rent on stabilized apartments. And last week, the mayor advanced new "click-to-cancel" regulations that would make it easier to get out of subscriptions.
The mayor's new appointment targets the city's high utility costs.
“Gas and electricity are not luxuries — they are basic necessities.” Mamdani wrote in a statement. “She [Hernandez] will stand up to utility companies pocketing billions in profit at the expense of hard-working New Yorkers, push back against unjustified rate hikes and champion a clean energy future that lowers costs and improves people’s lives.”
The public utility advocate will work under the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. The mayor’s office said Hernandez will be responsible for increasing public participation in hearings over future utility rate increases.
She’ll also be a set of eyes and ears for the mayor during meetings of the state’s Public Service Commission, which approves rate hikes and also deliberates consumer protections from power shutdowns, data centers and other high-energy-consuming industries.
She’ll also be tasked with boosting enrollment in energy affordability programs, such as the ones offered by Con Edison and National Grid that provide utility discounts. The state recently expanded eligibility criteria and enrollment for these programs by adding $1 billion in funding to include ratepayers with household incomes less than $150,000. Previous eligibility was only for customers already part of government assistance programs such as SNAP or Medicaid.
“Our energy grid powers our every day, and yet most New Yorkers feel disconnected or disempowered from shaping that very system,” Hernandez wrote in a statement.
Before her appointment on Wednesday, Hernandez led the clean energy team at the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. Previously, she served as climate and environmental policy director for City Councilmember Sandy Nurse of Brooklyn. She currently teaches environmental justice and climate resiliency at Columbia University.
“Annel Hernandez is a champion for environmental justice and energy equity. Annel has advanced climate, environmental and energy policies that have made our city healthier and more equitable,” said Eddie Bautista, executive director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.
Hernandez will face tough challenges in her new job. The city is in the midst of an energy affordability crisis. According to the city comptroller’s office, residents’ cooling costs have risen more than 50% over the last decade — and nearly one-third of New Yorkers are energy insecure, which means they cannot afford to pay for their energy needs.
Rate hikes have continued in recent years despite public outcry. This year, Con Ed was approved for a three-year rate increase, which increased monthly energy costs an average of $4 for electricity customers and $11 for gas consumers this year alone.
“It’s unacceptable that New Yorkers are forced to choose between putting food on their dinner tables and plugging in their AC on a dangerously hot summer day,” Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson wrote in a statement.
