LIPA Commission Updates

Around September 10, shortly before the second round of hearings, Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato stepped down from the Commission and Assemblymember Khaleel M. Anderson stepped up.

Even though the hearings are over, you can still submit your comments on the Legislative Commission on the Future of the Long Island Power Authority Public Input page. You can also read the public comments submitted by others.

Now that this first phase of the LIPA Commission’s work has wound down and the final Report on the Establishment of a Public Power Model for the Operation of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) is due to be released before November 30.

The legislation to adopt the new model of a fully public LIPA should follow soon after. This will include a governance model that reflects more local input in the appointment process for the governing board and the Community Stakeholder Board members.

It will also preserve and transition the current workforce away from PSEG LI. The workforce will be placed under LIPA control while maintaining workers’ employment status, wages, benefits, and other terms of employment. It will also preserve the relationship with IBEW Local 1049 and continue its jurisdiction under the National Labor Relations Board.

This transition of workforce and operations and maintenance of the grid from one company to another has been successfully—and transparently—executed in the past, having been carried forward from LILCO, through KeySpan/National Grid, to PSEG LI, which established the service provider model ServCo.

Reimagine LIPA expects the legislation to be introduced in early January with the hope that it will be included in the Governor’s and then the state’s FY2024 budget.