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Ithaca’s Plan to Bypass Utility Companies to Buy Energy on Pause

Ithaca had a bold plan to bypass utility companies and buy energy on the open market. The goal was to save money and purchase energy from more renewable sources.

But the program has stalled before it began.

The city’s community choice aggregation (CCA) program, branded as the Tompkins Green Energy Network (T-GEN), was set to roll out in fall 2026 following months of promotion. However, city officials announced on May 12 that the program is on pause as state regulators review and evaluate the rules for all CCA programs across New York.




T-GEN, which included the Town of Ithaca as a collaborator, would have allowed a third-party administrator to purchase electricity and natural gas on behalf of local customers from a third-party supplier rather than through New York State Electric & Gas directly.

Such programs are often marketed as an opportunity for local governments to prioritize purchasing lower-cost energy or energy generated through renewable resources, such as solar or hydroelectricity. Once a municipality enters a CCA program, energy consumers must choose to opt out to avoid enrollment.

It isn’t just Ithaca’s CCA program. All municipal electric CCA programs across the state have since ceased operation. Just one municipal gas CCA program is currently operating, according to Kim Mashke, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Public Service.

Community choice aggregation programs across the state came to a standstill after the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) — the body that regulates electric, gas and other utilities across the state — ordered an evaluation of the state’s rules for the programs in November 2024.

The commission directed the state’s Department of Public Service to “assess the benefits and effectiveness of the program’s policies and goals” and determine whether an opt-out system “served the public interest of mass consumers.”

While the results of that evaluation are still forthcoming, the PSC has since increased the outreach and education requirements for CCA programs. Regulators said the changes were necessary because of the opt-out nature of the programs.

Before all electric CCA programs across the state halted, there were around 237,465 participants enrolled in different CCAs statewide as of December 2024, according to Mashke.

City of Ithaca Director of Sustainability Rebecca Evans said in an April 23 memo to Common Council that energy supply companies have stopped bidding to sell electricity to CCA programs due to the uncertainty at the state level.

Evans noted a lack of clarity from state regulators surrounding their review of CCA programs. Regulators declined to provide documents that would outline the requirements of the project, or the name of the third-party firm conducting the review on behalf of the state.

“This lack of transparency has led to a very uncertain future for our CCA program in the short-term,” Evans said.

While the city’s CCA program is in limbo, its sister program, Own Your Power, is still moving forward. That program helps residents and businesses acquire green energy systems, such as heat pumps and electric vehicles.

-Jimmy Jordan and Hailea Potter, Ithaca Voice, 5/20/26