Dear Editor,
The members of Bethlehem Tomorrow, a citizen action group, strongly support the Town of Bethlehem joining the regional community choice aggregation program (CCA) that’s currently being formed by 11 municipalities in the Capital Region.
CCA is like an electricity “buyers club” that follows the regulations of the New York Public Service Commission. Leveraging the purchasing power of tens of thousands of households, the CCA will negotiate for clean electricity with a selected supply company at an affordable price, and that supplier will become residents’ default source of electricity. National Grid will continue to deliver and bill for the electricity, so there will be no changes in how we receive the electricity.
The CCA will provide a number of benefits. First, town residents and small businesses will greatly reduce our impact on the environment because we will get most or all of our electricity from clean sources such as wind, solar, and local hydro. Second, we will buy this electricity at a cost that’s competitive with current electric rates. Third, our electricity prices will be stable for the period of the CCA, allowing businesses and homeowners to better plan for electricity costs.
The regional CCA will increase the energy supply choices for Bethlehem residents. For those who do not wish to participate, it will be simple to opt out of the program for free at any time by returning a form that every resident will receive in the mail or filling out a simple web form.
More information about CCA is available on Bethlehem Tomorrow’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bethlehemtomorrow. We encourage residents to attend the Town’s public hearing about CCA on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall to support Bethlehem joining the regional CCA and to get affordable 100 percent clean electricity for everyone.
Jeremy Snyder and Pattie Beeler,
Bethlehem Tomorrow,
Delmar