Top New York officials have launched an "urgent" investigation into Central Hudson after many Hudson Valley residents reported insanely high bills.

On Wednesday, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan announced the New York State Public Service Commission has opened an investigation into Central Hudson's customer information system implementation and billing practices.

Ryan says the New York State Public Service Commission launched this investigation following his formal request.

"This is an urgent issue for countless residents across Ulster County who have been severely impacted by the failed implementation of Central Hudson’s new billing system, which was compounded by unexpected and unprecedented bill surges,” Ryan said. “I want to thank DPS for their immediate attention to this matter, and to reassure Ulster County residents that their concerns are being taken very seriously by my office. Your input into this investigation is needed, and I encourage all impacted residents to submit comments.”

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Ryan called for an investigation back on March 3rd. In his letter, he cited Ulster County residents’ concerns ranging from not receiving bills for months, to extremely over-estimated bills, to large automatic withdrawals from customers’ accounts without notice.

Since September, at least 11,000 Central Hudson electricity customers have experienced billing problems, according to Ryan.

One Hudson Valley resident sent us her bill where she owed over $17,000 for one month.

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Ryan is encouraging residents to submit official complaints to the commission via the DPS web portal. Individuals who are unable to access a computer to make a complaint can call the Ulster County Recovery Service Center at 845-443-8888.

Ryan expects the investigation will go on for several months.

On Tuesday, Central Hudson hosted a Facebook Live to address what some say is a "flawed" billing system.

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Central Hudson previously said the increase is due to increases in supply prices for both electricity and natural gas as the region navigates a colder than average winter and as global energy factors come into play, prompting an increase in the demand and price for energy.

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Supply prices are market-based and not marked up by Central Hudson, officials say.

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