Gas Bill Hike! NYC Residents "Hike" with Bills to Gov's Office to Demand Passage of NY HEAT Act!

As greedy utility companies charge more for same service, advocates demand Gov. include NY HEAT Act in budget and save NYers struggling on bills up to $142/month; NY Senate included full bill in one-house budget, but Assembly Speaker Heastie and Gov. Hochul continue to put utility companies' bottom line before struggling NYers

NEW YORK, NY (03/26/2024) (readMedia)-- New York City residents, environmental groups, and community organizations hiked from the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn to Governor Hochul's office in Manhattan to protest rate hikes from utility companies statewide. After the hike, the group staged a rally outside the Governor's office and called on her to prioritize energy affordability and prevent future rate hikes from impacting families by including the NY HEAT Act (A4592-B / S2016-B) in the final state budget.

Watch a recording of the event here.

"It is unacceptable that despite lofty goals set by our climate laws, we are not doing more to help New Yorkers make the transition to clean energy. What's even worse is that we are currently putting the financial burden of this transition on the backs of energy customers while the gas utility executives and shareholders laugh all the way to the bank. Passing the NY HEAT Act, which the Senate has included in our one house budget proposal, will help low and middle income New Yorkers save money as they switch to clean energy appliances and it will help fight climate change. Let's do what's right for our people, and for our planet, and pass the NY HEAT Act as part of the final enacted budget this year," said Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.

"There are far too many people in my district and across the state who have to make the difficult choice between putting food on the table or paying their utility bills. The NY HEAT Act would cap utility bills at 6 percent of a family's income, delivering a monthly savings of $140. It would also curb future rate increases and support New York State's transition away from fossil fuels so that we can more effectively fight climate change. I urge my colleagues in government to deliver this critical piece of legislation to New Yorkers," said Assemblywoman Latrice Walker.

"New York's clean energy future will be at risk if we do not pass the NY HEAT Act. This bill will reduce our carbon footprint, save money for millions of vulnerable New Yorkers by capping utility rates, and transition us away from destructive fossil fuels in an equitable manner. The time for half measures is over. I stand with my colleagues and advocates in supporting the NY HEAT Act and for full investment in climate protections," said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.

"New Yorkers are too often burdened with unaffordable energy bills with limited safeguards to protect them from predatory gas rate hikes. The NY HEAT Act not only protects families from unnecessary financial hardship, but also spearheads the pivotal transition from fossil fuels to electric heating across the state. Ensuring families save an average of $142 per month means they won't have to compromise between vital family needs and heating expenses. New Yorkers deserve clean, affordable energy, which is why we need to deliver on this important piece of legislation," said Assemblymember Alex Bores.

As Con Edison and National Grid pursue gas rate hikes that will cost some customers nearly $50 more each month, NY lawmakers have an opportunity to protect families by passing the NY HEAT Act in the budget and putting a limit on household utility bills to 6% of a family's income.

According to a new statewide report from WIN Climate and NY Renews, nearly 1 in 4 (24%) New York City residents have a high energy burden, meaning they pay more than 6% of their annual income on energy. With the NY HEAT Act, the 24% of households that struggle to afford their energy bills could see their bills cut in half, saving an average of $142 each month.

"The ultimate goal of the NY HEAT Act is to limit the use of fossil fuels like natural gas, which accelerate climate change and produce toxic emissions – both of which disparately impact people of color and low-income. But passing the complete bill, including the cap on utility rates, will also make energy more affordable for these disadvantaged populations, including the 1.4 million New Yorkers who have been struggling to heat their homes this winter. We need Governor Hochul to stand up for working class New Yorkers and include energy affordability provisions in the final budget," said Annie Carforo, Climate Justice Campaigns Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice.

"Hard-working New Yorkers are being forced to foot the bill for expanding the dirty fracked gas infrastructure that puts our health and our climate at risk. The absurd rate hikes proposed by National Grid and other utility companies force our neighbors to choose between heating and eating, all while they face the already visceral impacts of the climate crisis. We need Governor Hochul to pass the NY HEAT Act in this year's budget to get rising utility bills under control for those who need it most and to ensure that no one gets left behind during the transition to clean energy," said Brynn Fuller-Becker, Communications & Advocacy Manager of New Yorkers for Clean Power.

"New Yorkers are mad about our utility bills - and we should be. While our rising rates finance fossil fuel buildout and climate chaos, the NY HEAT Act provides a commonsense solution to both. Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Heastie must listen to New Yorkers and pass the full NY HEAT Act now," said Food & Water Watch Senior New York Organizer Laura Shindell.

"The choice in this budget is whether Governor Hochul and Speaker Heastie will choose to listen to our generation, to our communities, to our representatives in the Senate and include the full NY HEAT Act in the budget, or whether they choose to listen to the profit-driven, exploitative corporations that are destroying our communities and our future. The NY HEAT Act combines the most critical action for heating affordability with some of the most needed climate action, and is a must for the FY2024-25 budget," said Keanu Arpels-Josiah, 18, Policy Co-Lead of Fridays For Future NYC.

"This Act - the entirety of the Act - is a lifeline for us. So why have we yet to see Governor Hochul side with us? We have to wonder how many more orange skies we are going to have to see until this lifeline becomes our reality, or how many more elected officials we will have to cycle through until affordability and equity become the norm. We are out of time. This is the moment for Hochul to put the NY HEAT Act, in its entirety, in our budget," said Juliana Toloza Serna, National Coordinator at Fridays for Future USA.

Background

According to a recent Siena Poll, cost of living is the 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. Double-digit rate hikes from ConEd, National Grid, NYSEG, RG&E, Central Hudson, National Fuel Gas, and O&R only exacerbate the cost of living problem. Utilities are raising energy costs for New Yorkers as follows:

The NY HEAT Act 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.

In January, Governor Hochul included key provisions of the NY HEAT Act, which stands for Home Energy Affordable Transition, in her Executive Budget proposal. This week, the Senate reaffirmed its support for the NY HEAT Act by passing the full bill, and for the first time, the NY HEAT Act has majority support in the Assembly. Now, Governor Hochul and Albany leadership have an unprecedented opportunity to pass legislation that would modernize New York's utility regulations and include critical language to save New Yorkers struggling to afford their heating bills more money for other crucial expenses.

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.