The New York Rural Development Council is currently pursuing several initiatives, working to improve the living conditions for rural New Yorkers. First among these initiatives is a program which highlights the deregulation of electricity and the impacts this will have on rural communities. Rural communities can find themselves at a disadvantage when looking to compete effectively in a deregulated electricity marketplace. The demographic conditions, which define rural areas, can also discourage service providers from supplying these areas with the needed services.
Electricity is one such service, which is essential for all residents of New York.
Unfortunately, rural areas often cannot provide the economies of scale to make a convincing argument for energy service providers to serve rural areas. The Rural Development Council views this issue as an important opportunity to disseminate vital information to rural communities on some of the options that are available. One such option is aggregation. This activity creates an opportunity for rural residents to join together with others and create the economy of scale necessary to attract an energy service provider. As deregulation takes hold in New York State, communities around the state need to understand the implications as well as what options are available to compete in the deregulated marketplace.