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Tupper Lake electric rates to rise, too, with state mandate

TUPPER LAKE — Starting June 1, Tupper Lakers will pay more for their electricity, thanks to new Clean Energy Standards implemented by the state.

It will be a 7.2 percent increase on the village’s basic power rate. In winter, from November to April, the village charges higher rates for heavy electrical users.

“This bill that’s getting ready to come out will be our first bill (with the increase),” village Clerk Mary Casagrain said. “We were mandated.”

The Clean Energy Standard, part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2015 State Energy Plan, aims to diversify energy sources and make them cleaner. To do so, the state will require that 50 percent of New York’s electricity come from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind by 2030.

The state’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 40 percent and increase statewide energy efficiency by 600 trillion BTUs.

To support these initiatives, the state will require electric companies across the state to purchase two types of credits, Renewable Energy Credits and Zero-Emission Credits. These costs are passed down to customers.

“Tupper is going to see the same rate increase (as Lake Placid),” village Electric Superintendent Marc Staves said. “Every customer in New York state will see this increase.”

Tupper Lakers will see the ZEC charge on their upcoming bill, which will add $3.17 for every 1,000 kilowatt hours. The purpose of the ZEC is to support continued operation of nuclear power plants in the state as a sort of “bridge to renewables.”

“We have no control over that,” Mayor Paul Maroun said.

The REC charges won’t be implemented until early next year. Maroun said it’s possible the REC won’t apply to Tupper Lake because it already buys renewable energy. He said the New York Power Authority is looking into that question.

“We think we may have fulfilled that obligation already,” Maroun said.

The REC charge would likely add 74 cents for every 1,000 kilowatt hours for Tupper Lake customers.

Tupper Lake’s municipal electric system saves its residents a lot of money on their power bills. The average American household pays almost three times as much for the same use, and the average New Yorker pays well over four times as much, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, part of the Department of Energy.

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