After Governor Hochul Weakens Climate Law, New Yorkers Experience Deadly, Expensive Heat Wave

ALBANY, NY (07/02/2026) (readMedia)-- As this summer's first heat wave sends feels-like temperatures into the 100s and energy bills skyrocketing, it's also New York's first summer with a weakened Climate Law. Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate at Earthjustice, issued the following statement:

"Just weeks after Governor Hochul weakened the Climate Law, New Yorkers are being hit with a lethal, record-shattering heat wave, fueled by climate change. Delaying New York's transition off fossil fuels is spiking temperatures and our energy bills. The good news is the solutions that get us off fossil fuels are the same ones that make our grid more resilient and affordable. Solar power and heat pumps are natural partners to efficiently meet rising cooling demand. New Yorkers are depending on Albany leadership to invest in realistic solutions that can protect our energy grid, lower costs, and keep New Yorkers safe."

As Governor Hochul doubles down on fossil fuels, New Yorkers are paying record-breaking prices and oil companies are making record-breaking profits. According to NYSERDA in May of this year, compared to the same time last year, New Yorkers were paying:

• 38% more for gasoline
• 50.9% more for diesel
• 35.1% more for home heating oil

Meanwhile, other countries around the world are responding to this crisis by investing heavily in renewables. To note just a few examples:

• France is banning new gas heating systems, nearly doubling support for electrification from 5.5 billion euros to 10 billion in the next four years, and heavily subsidizing EVs
• South Korea is accelerating their roadmap to develop 100 GW of renewables by 2030
• After adding 55 GW in solar and wind capacity over the past 5 years, the United Kingdom substantially cut Britain's dependence on gas (39% lower in March 2026 compared to March 2021) and saves 7 million pounds per day on gas purchases.

It's not just other countries. Many states - blue and red, are proving that even under Trump, we can make progress. For instance:

• Virginia has adopted a flurry of clean energy reforms. These include:
  • Legalizing plug-in solar (which New York has just done by passing the SUNNY Act, awaiting the Governor's signature)
  • Increasing procurement requirements for rooftop solar from 1 to 5%
  • Increased procurement targets for energy storage - including 4.5 GW of long-duration storage
  • Requirements to quantify grid utilization and adoption of grid-enhancing technologies, and a requirement to add storage at existing solar projects.
• California has added 12 GW in the past 5 years.
  • Following grid strains brought on by climate-driven wildfire and extreme heat, California set aggressive procurement targets that drove a record-breaking buildout of battery-storage. Batteries are now able to supply 43% of evening peak energy demand, more than twice the energy supplied by natural gas. The pace of growth has accelerated.
• Texas has quadrupled the scale of battery storage additions to the grid in the last 3 years, adding over 10 GW of batteries.
• Illinois increased procurement targets both for renewables and for storage, boosted energy efficiency programs, and created a major new framework to expand Virtual Power Plants.

Even here in New York, renewables have been more reliable than fossil fuels. In December 2022, Winter Storm Elliott resulted in power outages due to failing infrastructure. Gas supply was plentiful, but wells and pipes froze, and cold temperatures affected equipment at fossil fuel power plants. The system similarly struggles during heatwaves, leading the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) to admit that during the June 2025 heatwave, solar and wind outperformed fossil fuels.

The Governor's efforts also come as New York leaders have repeatedly failed to follow through on building new clean energy infrastructure. The 175-mile Clean Path NY transmission line, which would bring 1,300 MW into New York City, was indefinitely delayed by New York's Public Service Commission earlier this year. In addition to delaying Clean Path, in July, the New York State Public Service Commission also abandoned efforts on a transmission project to connect multiple offshore wind farms to provide clean energy and meet growing demand. That project could have lowered costs to produce electricity by $40 to $70 billion from 2033 to 2052. That's on top of the approximately 50,000 MW of mostly clean energy projects stuck in the NYISO generator interconnection queue.

If Governor Hochul instead invested in financing the transition to renewable energy, we could lower costs now for the majority of households while making the downpayment that will shield us from future price shocks. Multiple studies draw this conclusion. A strong Cap and Invest program would yield $6.9 billion in net savings for households earning up to $200,000, or $1,060 per household, over the first decade.

So here's what Governor Hochul can do right now, even with Trump as president, to lower costs for New Yorkers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

1. Accelerate renewable generation
   1. She can do this by boosting solar and battery storage procurement targets and building renewables.
2. Increase electrification of vehicles and buildings
   1. Electrify public buses and corporate fleets (the Clean Deliveries Act does this), target EV subsidies to the highest-mileage low-income individuals
   2. Eliminate the Obligation to Serve (remember the NY HEAT Act?!) which is a key bottleneck to saving ratepayers money and enabling whole neighborhoods to pursue alternatives to gas pipes, like heat pumps
   3. Accelerate building repairs and weatherization to help New Yorkers save money by saving energy
   4. Help homeowners on delivered fuels go all-electric
3. Make clean energy transmission a top priority
   1. Connect the upstate and downstate grids, so we can bring onshore wind and solar downstate
   2. Accelerate the installation of Grid Enhancing Technology so that we can get more out of our grid without a massive, expensive overhaul of the aging infrastructure

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