A recent independent audit has revealed serious management and operational failures at Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) and New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), citing a lack of local oversight and prioritization of corporate profits over New York customers. Auditors uncovered non-existent compliance committees, misleading billing metrics, and incentive structures that reward executives even when local service suffers.
The audit, commissioned by the state and conducted by NorthStar Consulting Group, found that the utilities are largely managed by their parent company, Avangrid, with minimal input from local leadership and no strategic planning tailored to New York’s needs.
Despite claims of improvement, the report shows that key decisions from infrastructure to billing are made by unregulated Avangrid subsidiaries, not by the utilities themselves.
As both companies now face 128 corrective recommendations and must respond to allegations of regulatory violations, community advocates and regulators are raising urgent concerns about accountability, transparency, and the need for utilities that put New Yorkers, not shareholders, first.
