Riders railing at electricity surcharge

The cash-strapped MTA shouldn’t have to pay an electric-bill surcharge imposedm by Gov. Cuomo to support ththree upstate nuclear plants, transit adadvocates said this past week.

MTA power bills will be up by ababout $9 million in 2017, and will incrcrease even more over the lifetime of the 12-year, $7.6 billion plan to susupport the plants on Lake Ontario, sasaid Stop the Cuomo Tax, a group opopposed to the ratepayer bailout.

“The MTA cannot afford to spend a dollar that is not toward the MTA,” sasaid Jaqi Cohen of the Straphangers CCampaign.

The Cuomo administration’s nuclear surcharge has cost the MTA about $4.8 million since it took effect in April, Stop the Cuomo Tax said.

Cohen said that money could have been better spent on technology to time traffic lights so buses can move faster, or fixing deteriorating subway-station stairs.

Every utility customer in the state — including the MTA — is paying higher power bills to support the aging upstate plants, which are run by Chicago-based Exelon.

The state says the nuclear plants are essential to the power grid and the upstate economy.

The average customer’s hike will be about $2 per month. The MTA pays more because it is one of the state’s biggest power users.

Cuomo’s staff disputed the critics’ numbers. Supporting the upstate nuclear plants will help meet the state’s renewable-energy goals and save hundreds of jobs, the governor has said.

The MTA caused more nightmares for New Yorkers this past week when eight different subway lines stalled during Tuesday’s morning rush hour.