New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to weaken her state's climate laws, citing affordability, Politico reported.
As state budget battles loom, Hochul aims to revise a 2019 climate law that set ambitious goals to curb pollution in the Empire State.
"There were so many unforeseen factors," Hochul said of the law Monday. "There's going to be enormous costs."
Hochul's position comes at a time when other Democratic governors like Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro and California's Gavin Newsom have abandoned their own climate-friendly proposals to focus on affordability.
A spokesperson for Hochul said New York remains a climate and clean energy leader.
"Her all-of-the-above approach that includes an array of energy options, including more renewables, is designed to keep the lights on and costs down for New Yorkers," spokesman Ken Lovett told Newsmax.
While progressive Democrats may blanch at rolling back climate regulations, Hochul's agenda has the support of many in her party.
"She's recalibrating, and I think it's actually a smart way to frame it," former Nassau County Executive Laura Curran told Politico.
"At the end of the day, that's what people care about more than anything else: How much they have to pay for stuff," Curran added.
Hochul's office released a memo obtained by Politico that said to achieve the law's goals would increase gas prices by $2.23 per gallon by 2031 and home heating fuel costs more than $3,000 for people upstate.
"We strongly oppose [the climate law] in its current form," said David Fisher, president of the New York Farm Bureau to Politico.
"Compliance would mean achieving near-impossible renewable energy targets at a pace not proven feasible nor realistic," Fisher added. "It would also impose serious financial burdens on all consumers."
Environmental groups have pushed back on Hochul's memo.
"The [climate law] is the path forward to lowering bills and getting our economy transitioned in an affordable way," said Eric Walker, energy justice senior policy manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice to Politico.
"The governor is well intentioned in trying to protect ratepayers but is choosing to opt into a story that's just not true," Walker added.
Assemblyman Patrick Burke, who represents Buffalo, told Politico he's worried changes to the climate law will cause infighting among his fellow Democrats.
"We're just falling into what the Republicans want us to fall into," Burke said. "Can we as Democrats be the adults in the room about environmental policy and talk about it honestly and talk about costs or are we going to default because it's an election cycle, and the easiest thing to do is sort of absorb the Republican argument and then neutralize it in policy."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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