New York Public Service Commission Seeks Input on Proposed Energy Tax Hike.

Byline: Kenneth Aaron

Oct. 30--It takes green to be green, says the state Public Service Commission, which wants to nearly double the amount of money available every year for conservation, energy research and other demand-cutting measures.

The agency is soliciting public comment on a plan to increase a state energy tax -- the so-called system benefits charge -- to $138.1 million a year, from $78.1 million today. The tax expires on June 30.

An average business can expect to pay up to 14.2 cents per hundred-kilowatt-hour more for electricity. Under the plan, the average residential bill will go up between 0.2 percent and 0.6 percent a year; the …