Pearl River, NY – Rising electricity costs in Rockland County and across the Hudson Valley are becoming an issue in the race for New York’s 17th Congressional District, with an advocacy organization criticizing Republican Rep. Mike Lawler’s voting record while Lawler and his campaign argue that state energy policies are primarily responsible for higher utility bills.
Empire State Voices, an advocacy organization focused on economic issues, held a rally Tuesday outside Carmel Town Hall in Mahopac, where participants called on Lawler to take additional steps to reduce household energy costs. Lawler represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which includes all of Rockland and Putnam counties and portions of Westchester and Dutchess counties.
Dylan Wheeler of Nyack, a senior organizing director with Empire State Voices, criticized Lawler’s support for H.R. 1, a federal tax and spending law enacted in 2025. Wheeler argued that changes to federal energy tax credits contained in the legislation could contribute to higher costs for consumers. Rally participants also pointed to increases in their own utility bills, including one resident who reported a 22 percent increase in electricity costs this summer.
The group also raised questions about campaign contributions Lawler has received from companies and individuals connected with the energy and utility industries. Campaign contributions, however, do not by themselves establish that a lawmaker’s votes were influenced by donors.
Lawler’s campaign rejected the criticism and argued that New York State policies, rather than Lawler’s actions in Congress, are largely responsible for high electricity prices. Campaign spokesman Chris Russell cited data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showing that New Yorkers pay electricity rates substantially above the national average and higher than rates in neighboring New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The New York State Public Service Commission regulates rates charged by the state’s major electric and gas utilities. Utility bills can also be affected by several other factors, including wholesale energy prices, transmission and delivery costs, infrastructure investments, taxes, weather and energy consumption.
Lawler has made energy affordability a major part of his reelection campaign. He supports what he describes as an “all-of-the-above” energy policy incorporating nuclear power, natural gas, hydropower and renewable sources. He has also called for rebuilding and reopening the former Indian Point nuclear facility in Buchanan, arguing that additional nuclear generation could increase the region’s energy supply and help control electricity costs.
Indian Point permanently stopped generating electricity in 2021. The facility had supplied a significant share of electricity used in New York City and the lower Hudson Valley. Lawler has linked the plant’s closure and state restrictions on energy infrastructure to subsequent increases in electricity prices.
Democratic congressional candidate Cait Conley, who is challenging Lawler in November, opposes reopening Indian Point. Conley has instead advocated expanding a combination of solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric power. She has cited safety concerns and the condition of the former nuclear facility as reasons for opposing Lawler’s proposal.
The disagreement over energy comes as Lawler and Conley compete in a closely watched congressional race that could help determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Both candidates have made affordability a central campaign issue but differ significantly over the policies they believe would lower costs.
For Rockland County residents, the debate has particular relevance because households and businesses are affected by regional electricity prices while Indian Point sits directly across the Hudson River in neighboring Westchester County. The competing arguments also illustrate the difficulty of assigning responsibility for utility costs, which are influenced by decisions made at federal and state levels as well as by utilities, regulators and energy markets.
With the November election approaching, energy policy and the cost of living are expected to remain significant points of disagreement between Lawler and Conley as both campaigns seek support from voters throughout Rockland County and the rest of the 17th District.