Hochul Picks Side in Battle Between Climate and Cost of Living

From her position of safety, Gov. Kathy Hochul is picking a fight with progressive Democrats in New York, trying to weaken a landmark climate law in the name of bringing down the cost of living.

Hochul (D) is trying to delay New York’s longstanding and ambitious climate goals, framing her plan as a way to battle President Donald Trump and affordability concerns, though the left wing of her party is concerned she will do more to help the oil and gas industry than voters.

Hochul’s proposals, outlinedFriday in an op-ed, conceded the 2019 climate law isn’t the primary reason energy prices are soaring. She said “common-sense” adjustments are necessary to address affordability concerns.

“I have repeatedly said that utility rates in our state are too high,” Hochul wrote. “And while the Climate Act is not the driver of the high energy prices we are experiencing, the undeniable fact is we cannot meet the Climate Act’s 2030 targets without imposing new and additional crushing costs on New York businesses and residents.”

Hochul is in a stronger position this budget cycle to suggest the move, which has angered environmentalists and advocates to her left.

She isn’t facing a primary opponent in her reelection bid this fall, and has improved her standing among the public in recent polling. Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman, who has shaped his campaign partially on the high cost of energy, has struggled to capture name recognition outside Nassau County, where he is county executive.

Her most significant proposed changes include extending the deadline for the state to reach certain emission limits and changing the accounting methodology used to quantify methane emissions, which she contends are being calculated in New York to a higher standard than other states and globally.

Hochul has fought against claims she is reneging on the state’s climate goals, calling herself the “staunchest environmentalist and fighter of climate change in New York’s history” in a news conference this week. She has blamed the Trump administration for its focus on oil and gas, along with volatile gas prices driven by the war in Iran, for putting the brakes on the climate law.

Other blue states, such as California and Washington, have approved similarly ambitious climate goals, but Hochul is one of the first Democratic governors to propose scaling back in the name of affordability. She said the proposed changes would still follow the intent of the law while “recognizing the economic and political challenges we face,” citing a hostile White House that has cramped renewable energy development across the country.

The original climate law had required the state’s environmental agency to issue regulations that reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, and by 85% by 2050. Hochul indicated the 2030 target date could be delayed to 2040.

In a Feb. 26 memo, New York’s energy authority cited a heavy impact if the state were to stick to its original 2030 climate targets, adding a $4,000 year cost for upstate households reliant on oil and natural gas and $2,300 for New York City households.

Environmental advocates have resisted Hochul’s numbers and argue the law itself hasn’t driven up prices, because it hasn’t been implemented. They say Hochul will prioritize oil and gas reliance by slowing down the climate law’s mandates, which include a focus on renewable energy.

“If reneging on the climate law won’t actually lower anyone’s bills, why is she doing it?” said Liz Moran, with the climate group EarthJustice, in a statement this week.