Patrick Robbins

We've got 40 or 50 or so towns that own their distribution lines.

And we have...

public ownership of distribution in many states and in fact, many countries around the world.

I will say that it's hard to say in terms of a hypothetical how that would impact prices, but I will say that for those 40 or 50 or so public utilities right here in New York, they do have hands down cheaper electric bills than the rest of the state.

It's a really good question, and I'll be transparent that I don't know the answer.

I haven't looked side by side, apples to apples, with some of the different distribution companies in the state.

But I would suspect that a lot of the volatility that you're talking about

is on the generation side because of the hikes that you see because of the war in Iran.

And you saw that as well when the Ukraine-Russia war was kicking off.

And I would say that

In terms of ramifications for utility customers, the distribution model that we have now, the private distribution model, that engenders a steady...

steady increase of electricity bills that is still bad, but constant, whereas the supply side is much more volatile and fickle than what you'd see in terms of its impacts on your bills.

That's what we have.

I mean, a regulated monopoly is the standard model that I was describing.

So that's not uncommon.

What does stick out to me, though, about what you just said is the fact that those rates are controlled by the legislature.

That is interesting to me because, you know, the model that I've seen certainly here in New York and in many other states as well is one where there is a kind of –

layer between the public and that decision making process through the Public Utility Commission.

And, you know, you can have states where the Public Utility Commission is elected.

New York is not one of those states.