Advocates Urge AM Glick To Fight for NY HEAT Act As Bill Stalls in Assembly!

NEW YORK, NY (05/06/2024) (readMedia)-- Today, advocates, community members, and NYC residents rallied outside the office of Assemblymember Deborah Glick to demand she fight to pass the NY HEAT Act (A4592-B / S2016-B) this session. Assemblymember Glick, who chairs the Assembly's Environmental Conservation Committee, previously said the NY HEAT Act should be passed separately from the state's budget passed last month. Now, she needs to honor her commitment to New York's climate future and pressure Speaker Heastie to pass the bill during this year's session!

Watch a livestream of the event here.

"The Assembly is consistently an obstacle to New York's climate progress. We need action from the Assembly- not empty promises. If lawmakers fail to get the NY HEAT Act done, the responsibility for rising gas prices and a worsening climate will fall squarely on the Assembly leaders who sided with fossil fuel companies over their constituents. It's time for Assemblymember Glick and her colleagues to step up and pass the NY HEAT Act before the end of the session!" said Lisa Marshall, Advocacy & Organizing Director at New Yorkers for Clean Power.

"As chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, Assemblymember Glick holds a lot of influence over climate bills. So far, she has opted not to wield that influence in support of the NY HEAT Act. The climate community and her constituents are calling on her to fight harder to get the NY HEAT Act across the finish line because we desperately need cleaner air and lower bills. Glick must step off the sidelines and go to bat for the New York Heat Act," said Laura Shindell, Senior New York Organizer at Food & Water Watch.

The NY HEAT Act will save families from rising energy costs by limiting household utility bills to 6% of a family's income. The bill will also kickstart New York's transition from the outdated, expensive fracked gas system accelerating the effects of climate change.

Governor Hochul embraced key parts of NY HEAT in her Executive Budget proposal. The Senate passed the bill twice, and despite the actions of Assembly leadership, the legislation has support from a majority of Assemblymembers. Advocates are urging lawmakers to pressure Assembly Speaker Heastie to pass the full bill during this year's session!

Background

According to a recent Siena Poll, cost of living is the single most important issue facing most New Yorkers this election season. A previous Siena Poll found that 8 in 10 New Yorkers statewide agree the high cost of living in New York is a major problem, and double-digit rate hikes from ConEd, National Grid, RG&E, NYSEG, National Fuel Gas, Central Hudson, and O&R have only exacerbated the already high cost of living. The NY HEAT Act would address this issue.

According to a recent statewide report from WIN Climate and NY Renews, the NY HEAT Act would save the 25% of all households that struggle to afford their energy bills an average of $136 each month-cutting bills nearly in half. In New York City, the NY HEAT Act would save the 24% of energy burdened residents an average of $142 per month.

The NY HEAT Act, which stands for Home Energy Affordable Transition, will stop the expansion of the dirty, outdated, fracked gas system to protect the climate. In addition to cost savings detailed above, the bill gets rid of the unfair 100-foot rule, which forces New York families to subsidize new gas hookups to the tune of $200 million every year while accelerating fossil fuel-generated climate change that supercharges storms, floods, and wildfires and drives deadly extreme heat and cold.

About Renewable Heat Now (RHN)

RHN is a network of organizations working to accelerate the adoption of ground-source (geothermal) and air-source heat pumps in New York to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used to heat and cool our homes and workplaces. We are committed to environmental justice and a just transition to all-electric homes and buildings.