N.Y. Public Service Law Section 72
Notice and hearing

  • order fixing price of gas or electricity or requiring improvement
Before proceeding under a complaint presented as provided in section seventy-one, the commission shall cause notice of such complaint, and the purpose thereof, to be served upon the person or corporation affected thereby. Such person or corporation shall have an opportunity to be heard in respect to the matters complained of at a time and place to be specified in such notice. An investigation may be instituted by the commission of its own motion as to any matter of which complaint may be made, as provided in § 71 (Complaints as to quality and price of gas and electricity)section seventy-one of this chapter, or to enable it to ascertain the facts requisite to the exercise of any power conferred upon it. After a hearing and after such an investigation as shall have been made by the commission or its officers, agents, examiners or inspectors, the commission may, by order, fix just and reasonable prices, rates and charges for gas or electricity to be charged by such corporation or person, for the service to be furnished notwithstanding that a higher or lower price has been theretofore prescribed by general or special statute, contract, grant, franchise condition, consent or other agreement, and may order such improvement in the manufacture, conveying, transportation, distribution or supply of gas, in the manufacture, transmission or supply of electricity, or in the methods employed by such person or corporation, as will in its judgment be adequate, just and reasonable. Any such change in price shall be upon such terms, conditions or safeguards as the commission may prescribe. If it shall be made to appear to the satisfaction of the commission that the public interest requires a change in the price of gas or electricity charged by any such person or corporation, or that such change is necessary for the purpose of providing adequate and efficient service, or for the preservation of the property, the commission, upon such terms, conditions or safeguards as it deems proper, may authorize an immediate, reasonable, temporary increase or decrease in such price pending a final determination of the price to be thereafter charged by such person or corporation. The terms, conditions or safeguards prescribed may include provisions for the purposes for which the additional revenue derived from any such temporary increase may be expended and for the impounding thereof until the same shall be applied to the purposes so specified. The price fixed by the commission under this section or under subdivision five of section sixty-six shall be the maximum price to be charged by such person, corporation or municipality for gas or electricity for the service to be furnished within the territory and for a period to be fixed by the commission in the order, not exceeding three years except in the case of a sliding scale, and thereafter until the commission shall, upon its own motion or upon the complaint of any corporation, person or municipality interested, fix a higher or lower maximum price of gas or electricity to be thereafter charged. In determining the price to be charged for gas or electricity the commission may consider all facts which in its judgment have any bearing upon a proper determination of the question although not set forth in the complaint and not within the allegations contained therein, with due regard among other things to a reasonable average return upon capital actually expended and to the necessity of making reservations out of income for surplus and contingencies. At any hearing involving a rate, the burden of proof to show that the change in rate or price if proposed by the person, corporation or municipality operating such utility, or that the existing rate or price, if on motion of the commission or in a complaint filed with the commission it is proposed to reduce the rate or price, is just and reasonable shall be upon the person, corporation or municipality operating such utility; and the commission may give to the hearing and decision of such questions preference over all other questions pending before it and decide the same as speedily as possible. Nothing in this chapter contained shall be deemed to prohibit the commission from fixing a sliding scale upward rate for natural gas, beginning at a fixed price per unit for a small consumption and then increasing the price per unit as the consumption is increased.

Source: Section 72 — Notice and hearing; order fixing price of gas or electricity or requiring improvement, https://www.­nysenate.­gov/legislation/laws/PBS/72 (updated Sep. 22, 2014; accessed Oct. 25, 2025).

64
Application of article 65
Safe and adequate service 65–A
Notification to social services officials 65–B
Service to persons applying for or receiving public assistance, supplemental security income benefits or additional state payments 66
General powers of commission in respect to gas and electricity 66–A
Conservation of gas, declaration of policy, delegation of power 66–B
Continuation of gas service 66–C
Conservation of energy 66–D
Contract carrier authorization 66–E
Monitoring of natural gas procurement 66–F
Purchase and procurement of natural gas at lowest available price 66–G
Sale of indigenous natural gas for generation of electricity 66–H
Certain electric corporations 66–J
Net energy metering for residential solar, farm waste, non-residential solar electric generating systems, micro-combined heat and power g... 66–K
Allowance credit trading or sales 66–L
Net energy metering for residential, farm service and non-residential wind electric generating systems 66–M
Green jobs-green New York on-bill recovery 66–N
Net metering study 66–O
Electric vehicle charging tariff 66–P
Establishment of a renewable energy program 66–Q
Gas and electric billing information for residential rental premises 66–R
Requirements for certain renewable energy systems 66–S
Electric vehicle charging 66–T
Thermal energy network development 66–T*2
Registration of energy brokers and energy consultants 66–U
Gas safety reports 66–V
Requirements for certain climate risk-related and energy transition projects 66–W
Finality of charges 67
Inspection of gas and electric meters 67–A
Charges for past services 68
Certificate of public convenience and necessity 68–A
Statements of nature and extent of interests to be filed upon request 69
Approval of issues of stock, bonds and other forms of indebtedness 69–A
Reorganizations 70
Transfer of franchises or stocks 70–A
Street lights 71
Complaints as to quality and price of gas and electricity 72
Notice and hearing 72–A
Increased fuel costs 73
Compensation to customers experiencing widespread prolonged outages 73–A
Prioritization of emergency services 74
Energy storage deployment policy 74–A
Westchester county renewable energy and energy efficiency resources program 74–B
Long Island community choice aggregation programs 75
Defense in case of excessive charges for gas or electricity 76
Rates charged veteran organizations, religious bodies and community residences 77
Powers of local officers
Green check means up to date. Up to date

Verified:
Oct. 25, 2025

Last modified:
Sep. 22, 2014

§ 72. Notice & hearing's source at nysenate​.gov

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