Assem. Dinowitz Urges Governor Hochul to Sign 100-Foot Rule Repeal: "We Can't Afford Another Rate Hike"

BRONX, NY (09/26/2025) (readMedia)-- Yesterday, Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz penned an op-ed in the Riverdale Press urging Governor Kathy Hochul to sign legislation on her desk to repeal the "100-foot rule," an extra charge on New Yorkers' energy bills that forces families to pay more so utilities can build new gas pipes on their dime. Repealing the 100-foot rule would save New Yorkers more than $200 million every month - and help protect ratepayers from repeated rate hikes happening across the state. Albany lawmakers passed legislation in June to repeal the 100-foot rule, and now Governor Hochul can finish the job by signing this legislation into law.

In the piece, Assemblymember Dinowitz writes, "My constituents already saw Con Edison raise their bills by more than $20 every month in 2023, and before that by 13 percent in 2020, while other utilities are doing the same... Many of these increases are thanks in part to archaic rules like the 100-foot rule." He continues: "Today, [the 100-foot rule] pushes utilities to expand the gas system that's already too expensive - and lets them cover the high costs by raising our bills." Read the full piece here.

The opinion piece comes as state and local lawmakers from across New York are stepping up their efforts to get Governor Hochul to sign the bill into law. Last month, more than 50 members of the state legislature sent a letter to Governor Hochul urging her to repeal the 100-foot rule, writing, "New Yorkers should not be paying millions to companies that are abusing outdated laws in order to bring in record profits." Yesterday, 60 local elected officials sent a similar letter to the Governor urging her to sign the bill to help lower their constituents' energy bills.

Governor Hochul proposed repealing the 100-foot rule in two of her past executive budget proposals, and just this week celebrated that New York State is investing more than $1 billion to fight climate change and prioritize affordability for everyday New Yorkers. Now, she has a chance to expand on that effort and deliver for New Yorkers by repealing this outdated handout to corporate utilities.

Background

As the cost of building and maintaining our aging gas infrastructure continues to rise, utilities across the state have raised rates to pass those costs onto customers and keep us hooked on a fracked gas system that is already unaffordable. Since 2022, every major New York gas utility has raised costs on consumers, causing more than 1.2 million families to fall behind on their energy bills. At the same time, the Trump administration has threatened federal energy affordability programs, making state action even more essential.

The 100-foot rule repeal would end the decades-old subsidy that allows utilities to charge New Yorkers more to expand the state's fracked gas system. Repealing the 100-foot rule would save New Yorkers an estimated $200 million every year, and level the playing field for a cleaner, more affordable energy future instead of saddling New Yorkers with millions to expand the dirty system that causes climate change is increasingly unaffordable.

As energy bills continue to rise across the country, and as President Trump allows his fossil fuel cronies to threaten our environment, other Blue states are considering ending similar subsidies for gas utilities. Last month, Massachusetts state regulators issued an order to end their own version of the 100-foot rule, joining California, Colorado, Connecticut, and Maryland as the first states to repeal outdated gas mandates that cost ratepayers more money.