New York Senate Republicans are ramping up criticism of the state’s climate law after a state memo revealed the potential for steep increases in energy costs for residents.
Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said the findings confirm what Republicans have warned about for years, that New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act could drive up utility and fuel prices while lawmakers claim to be addressing affordability.
“They've been talking about affordability, ‘we have got to do something about affordability,' at the same time championing these policies that they unequivocally know are driving up costs and making life less affordable,” Ortt said.
“You can't just say affordability and wish it into existence when you're passing laws that are going to add $4,100 to people's bills, that are going to make gas potentially $5 or more at the pump.”
A memo from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority warned that without changes to the law, upstate households using oil or natural gas could see energy costs rise by more than $4,000 annually. Republicans say the report highlights the difficulty of meeting the law’s aggressive emissions targets.
“They cannot be met. The governor knows it. I bet you some of my colleagues know it and yet they still passed it,” Ortt said of the climate law’s timelines.
Other GOP lawmakers echoed those concerns and called for changes to the policy.
Senator Mark Walczyk, who represents parts of central and northern New York, said he has introduced legislation to repeal the law’s emissions targets.
“We can do a very simple repealer to repeal those targets right now and alleviate New Yorkers immediately and also in the future,” Walczyk said.
Senator Tom O’Mara also urged lawmakers to provide immediate relief to residents struggling with higher energy costs. “Wouldn’t it be more important to provide some relief to ratepayers rather than to have it sitting in NYSERDA’s bank account or in a utility’s coffers?” he said.
Republicans say the debate over the memo will likely intensify as state leaders negotiate the budget and confront rising concerns about affordability across New York.