ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly, now that Republicans have chosen to nominate Congressmen Lee Zeldin in his bid for Governor, one of the many issues the GOP is hoping to capitalize on this election cycle is combating rising energy costs in New York. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine leading to economic sanctions that will impact inflation around the globe, utility leaders in New York are examining what they can do to keep energy supplies in check while keeping customers informed on what’s happening with their rising bills.

We first hear from our team of New York correspondents on the reaction among lawmakers to Zeldin’s nomination. Zeldin secured more than 85% of the weighted vote at the State’s GOP convention, and now the other GOP candidates looking to challenge Zeldin for the Republican nomination in the June primary will have to petition their way onto the ballot.

Meanwhile, the colder-than-average winter New York has experienced this year coupled with rising inflation rates is leading to higher energy bills, and Russia’s assault on Ukraine is set to put even more pressure on homeowners’ wallets.

We hear from Central Hudson’s Senior Vice President of Customer Services and Gas Operations, Anthony Campagiorni on the factors playing a role in rising energy costs. According to Campagiorni, the ongoing global conflict will definitely have an impact on prices here in New York.

“Oil and gas are global commodities, right? So whatever happens around the globe is going to have some impact here,” says Campagiorni. “Bills are very high and we’re looking to see what long-term pricing looks like in making sure we have ample supplies and using practices through hedging and other things we do to see what we can do to buy supply.”

Campagiorni says staying in communication with utility customers and keeping them aware of things they should be considering and the options available to offset some of their monthly payments during these economically volatile times is critical.

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