Once serving more than 200,000 customers, municipal aggregation programs have ceased operating across the state, according to regulators.
NEW YORK (March 19, 2026) — Community Choice Aggregation programs, which once served hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers through municipally managed electricity supply, have now ceased operating statewide, according to the Public Service Commission.
A November 2024 order by the New York Public Service Commission identified significant concerns with the program, including limited customer savings, recurring billing and enrollment issues, and questions about whether it was delivering meaningful benefits. The Commission directed a formal evaluation to determine whether the program should be improved, restructured, or discontinued.
For Westchester ratepayers, the opt-out model that for years shifted customers from default utility providers such as NYSEG and Con Edison into programs like Sustainable Westchester’s Westchester Power has come to an end.
The development follows years of public debate and reporting examining pricing, governance, and the structure of CCA programs, particularly in Westchester County.
State regulators confirmed that all municipal electric CCA programs have ended. The final programs—including Westchester Power and Joule Community Power—shut down in late 2025.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Public Service confirmed that all municipal electric CCA programs have ceased operation, with approximately 237,465 participants enrolled statewide as of Dec. 31, 2024, and only one municipal gas aggregation program remaining active. The Department said that decisions to end the programs were made at the local level and varied by administrator, with details available in regulatory filings.
The shift marks a significant change for a program model state regulators formally launched nearly a decade ago.
On April 21, 2016, the Commission issued an order authorizing a statewide framework for CCA programs, allowing municipalities to aggregate residents and small businesses into group electricity purchasing arrangements on an opt-out basis. The order established design principles and standards for local governments to implement such programs.
At the time, regulators described CCA as a vehicle for expanding clean energy and consumer engagement. Well-designed programs, the Commission said, could promote innovative energy products and services, support local clean energy goals, and increase the benefits of retail competition for residential and small non-residential customers.
Seven CCA administrators were ultimately authorized to operate programs across New York.
More recent regulatory filings reflect growing concerns about the program’s performance.
In that order, the Commission cited recurring issues, a lack of demonstrated supply savings for participants, and the absence of additional opt-in products and services.
Regulatory filings have also identified operational issues, including instances of customers being incorrectly enrolled in CCA programs due to data errors—findings that are consistent with complaints raised by customers over time. A review of PSC filings suggests additional details that will be examined in follow-up reporting.
The result is that a program once promoted as a key tool for advancing clean energy and local control has effectively disappeared from operation statewide.
Despite that ongoing evaluation, publicly available materials do not reflect any single consolidated announcement explaining the statewide cessation of municipal electric CCA programs.
Instead, the programs appear to have wound down through a series of filings, compliance actions, and contract expirations.
The Public Service Commission has not issued an order prohibiting CCA programs, and the statutory framework authorizing them remains in place.
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This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.