Ever get an offer in the mail that you felt was too good to be true? Residents of Yonkers, New York’s third-largest city, know just how you feel.
In early January, a letter arrived in Yonkers residents’ mailboxes from an outfit called Sustainable Westchester. It could easily have been mistaken for junk were it not for the city’s official seal in the lower right corner and a message in small print: “Please Do Not Discard. Official Notification.” Anyone who didn’t toss the letter in the recycling bin got the following message, framed as unambiguously great news: “The City is pleased to inform you that your household . . . will be automatically switched from the utility’s standard supply into the Westchester Power 100% Renewable supply on your first meter read date after 3/1/2022.”
Publishers Clearing House couldn’t have done better. The catch was buried deep in the fine print: Homeowners who don’t opt out will see an average increase of nearly 19% in the price of electricity, making it more expensive to keep the lights on.
You may also like
The fatal flaw in New York’s climate Superfund law
In 2024, the New York state Legislature decided the state needed some money — $75 billion, to be exact — for “comprehensive adaptation to the effects of in New York state.”
The Legislature thought it had found Read More
Long Islanders and Empire Center Debate Homeschooling
Greater Long Island’s recent into the rise of homeschooling sparked quite a debate. Hundreds of readers on Facebook, weighing in on everything from academics and socialization to parental rights, teacher qualifications, a Read More
N.Y. fails education despite spending big
New York’s schools are spending more than ever, but student performance keeps falling.
Unsurprisingly, Empire Center’s latest opinion poll shows with how education is run. They want better results, less spending, and more choice — something th Read More
Long Island schools: Ahead of a very mediocre pack
Long Island may be New York's strongest case that money matters in education — and also its strongest warning that, past a certain point, more money is not the answer.
Long Island is widely regarded as one of New York's better education regions, exce Read More
A Bullying Lawyer Trapped an Innocent Woman in a Five-Year Court Battle – but New York Law can’t Make her Whole
We like to associate the law with justice—protecting the innocent and punishing the wrongdoers. But sometimes our laws punish the innocent and protect the wrongdoers instead.
Dutchess County mom Vika Shock learned this the hard way.
In November 20 Read More
No Energy Price Relief in Hochul’s Budget—So Far
Mrs. Hochul had been warning that the state’s green energy regime, a product of the Climate Leadership Climate Protection Act, needs changes to spare New Yorkers from a self-inflicted surge in energy costs.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Hochul’s 2027 Budget Read More
Outraged by $4 Gas, Albany Pushes Policies That Mean $6
New Yorkers could soon be paying $6 a gallon for gas, thanks to Albany’s policy mistakes. The prospect of soaring gas prices comes amid a larger rise in energy costs, accelerated by the growth in data centers and the Iran conflict. Yet $4 -a-gallon gas Read More
Hochul continues to bribe Big Health with reckless Medicaid spending
For the fourth year in a row, has used the word “unsustainable” to describe her own .
Give her credit for honesty — but not sound fiscal management.
Over the four annual budgets on her watch, the state’s share of Medicaid costs has soare Read More