WASHINGTTON – As Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation continues to try to unravel its massive billing debacle, Congressman Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) Wednesday called for its president, Charles Freni, to resign.
Ryan made his appeal during a speech on the House Floor, saying the utility has “screwed over and ripped off” its customers.
He spoke of a farmer in Gardiner of over $16,000, 17 times her usual bill, leaving her to contemplate suicide.
“She described the debt which put her at risk of losing her family farm as a guillotine hanging over her head,” he said. “I rise for the single mother in Kingston who told me she is afraid to cook for her four kids because turning on the stove means facing a gigantic gas bill; for the mayor of our City of Newburgh who received a bill of $708,000 for a single month of electricity at his three-bedroom family home.”
Ryan said Central Hudson has put “profit over people.”
The congressman did not place the blame on the billing issues on the utility employees, saying they were under-trained for the task of transitioning to a new system.
Meanwhile, Central Hudson spokesman Joe Jenkins issued a statement in response to Ryan’s remarks saying the utility “continues to apologize for the unfortunate impacts that implementation of the new system has had on our customers and key stakeholders. Our number one priority has been and remains resolution of issues with the system, and we continue to make progress. We continue to make enhancements to resolve any remaining issues.” (continued below)
Jenkins said Central Hudson “is working to ensure that customers who received bills requiring an adjustment have been made whole. We are 100 percent committed to rebuilding relationships with Congressman Ryan and all our stakeholders and to resolving any remaining issues with the system expeditiously.”
The spokesman said he hopes company officials can meet with Ryan and other elected officials to “build back trust with our customers as their energy provider.”
