Governor Hochul Can Deliver for Working People With the NY HEAT Act!

ALBANY, NY (11/20/2024) (readMedia)-- As the 2025 Legislative Session nears and a new presidential administration looms, advocates are urging Governor Hochul to lead the nation on energy affordability in next year's budget.

"1 in 4 New Yorkers already can't afford rising energy prices, and that number will likely get worse under the incoming presidential administration with a history of protecting greedy polluters over struggling families. It's up to Governor Hochul and New York lawmakers: Will they meet this moment and lower utility bills by putting the NY HEAT Act in next year's budget, or will they allow even more families to fall into the terrible position of having to choose between eating and heating?" said Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate at Earthjustice.

"Utilities will raise heating prices around 18% this winter, even though what they're paying for fracked gas is less than before - because they're charging New Yorkers even more to build out their pipes and pipelines. This is only going to get worse, and New York lawmakers will have to answer for it. Governor Hochul and New York lawmakers must deliver for the working New Yorkers who can't afford to subsidize fossil fuel companies by putting the NY HEAT Act in next year's budget," said Lisa Marshall, Director of Organizing and Advocacy of New Yorkers for Clean Power.

"Governor Hochul just made transit more affordable and reliable with congestion pricing, and now she should do the same for utility customers with the NY HEAT Act. She can deliver for working people by saving struggling families $136/month on average, and stop making New Yorkers spend to maintain dirty and expensive gas pipelines. The NY HEAT Act must become a top priority for Governor Hochul," said John Raskin, President of Spring Street Climate Fund.

As of September 2024, approximately 1 in 7 households in New York was two months or more behind on their energy bills. This crisis is impacting more than 1.2 million families, who are collectively in debt more than $1.3 billion dollars to utilities And as winter for-profit gas corporations are projected to charge New Yorkers 18% more for heat, even though the price of gas itself is going down.

Background

Despite lawmakers' failure to pass the bill last session, the NY HEAT Act has support across the legislature. Governor Hochul embraced key parts of the NY HEAT Act in her 2025 Executive Budget proposal, the Senate passed the bill twice, and the bill has support from a majority of Assemblymembers.

The Home Energy Affordable Transition Act, also known as the NY HEAT Act, will stop the expansion of New York's outdated and dangerous fracked gas system. The bill modernizes archaic state laws that force New Yorkers to pay billions of dollars each year to subsidize new fracked gas hookups and pipelines. It would limit households' energy burdens and would allow utilities to provide cheaper and clean heating alternatives at no additional cost to customers – a win-win for New Yorkers and the environment.

The NY HEAT Act is popular across party lines, with 67% of democrats, 47% of republicans, and 55% of independents agreeing it should have passed. It was also popular with 60% of upstate voters, 55% of union households, and across income groups. 74% of Black voters and 70% of Latino voters also wanted it to pass.