Long Island families are paying soaring electric bills because of what Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called a politically driven backroom deal approved under Gov. Kathy Hochul
A recently approved five-year, $493 million contract extension allowing PSEG Long Island to continue operating the region’s electric grid has punished ratepayers while rewarding politically connected interests, charged Blakeman, who is running against Hochul for the state’s highest office.
The deal was approved even as the State Inspector General and an internal ethics review are investigating whether favoritism or misconduct tainted the bidding process, he noted.
A committee of experts at the Long Island Power Authority reportedly recommended awarding the contract to a different company. That recommendation was ignored when LIPA’s board voted to scrap the competitive process and extend PSEG’s contract.
“Your electricity rates are out of control, and you can thank Kathy Hochul,” Blakeman said. “Instead of delivering the best service at the lowest possible rates, her board appointees handed a massive contract to a politically connected company.”
The governor appoints five of LIPA’s nine board members, including the chair. Four of the six members who voted to cancel competitive bidding were Hochul appointees. Two committee members have alleged they were pressured by a state-appointed official to lower evaluation scores for a competing bidder, according to Blakeman.
The county executive also pointed to PSEG’s performance record, noting customer satisfaction rankings fell from 10th to 12th place among 18 large Eastern utilities in 2025, with reports showing several performance benchmarks were not met.
Campaign finance records indicate PSEG and affiliated political action committees have donated more than $165,000 to New York political causes since 2000. The largest contribution from an affiliated super PAC went to Hochul’s 2022 campaign.
“Albany insiders get richer while Long Island families get stuck with higher bills,” Blakeman said. “This is corruption plain and simple, and it has to stop.”