A year ago, the state Public Service Commission directed New York’s six investor-owned utilities to work together to identify a long-term planning framework to meet expected rising demand for electricity without breaking the back of consumers as the state reaches for clean-energy climate goals.

Last month, that directive became an order, meaning the utilities are now on the clock to get the ball rolling.

New York initiated an aggressive Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019 that looks to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next few decades. That will occur primarily by shifting away from fossil fuels, with more electric vehicles and buildings on the horizon.

But if each utility looked to upgrade its own system to meet projected needs, ratepayers would be crushed by needless duplication. So........

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