ICYMI: Op-ed Shows Absurdity of Hochul's Commitment to Fossil Fuels As War Spikes Prices

ALBANY, NY (04/07/2026) (readMedia)-- While countries across the world wake up to the risks of fossil fuel dependence and are increasing investment in renewables, a new op-ed in New York's USA Today papers puts that in contrast with Governor Hochul's plan to gut the climate law. Governor Hochul's profoundly ironic misjudgment will cost New Yorkers:

"In contrast with the rest of the world, Hochul's attack on the CLCPA is disastrously short-sighted. Procrastinating on the inevitable clean energy transition will not make the costs of investment go away. On the contrary, it will only leave New Yorkers more exposed to the rising costs of fossil fuel reliance. NYSERDA recently reported that since the start of the war, gasoline prices have risen 21% and diesel prices have surged 28%. This is a massive transfer of wealth from New York households to the shareholders of large oil and gas companies."

Read the full op-ed by Earthjustice's Rachel Spector and Sasan Saadat here and below.

Why can't Gov. Kathy Hochul let go of fossil fuels in NY?

Last month, in response to the Trump Administration's oil blockade, reporters noted a huge spike in Cuba's efforts to install solar energy. Faced with increasingly frequent, extended blackouts, regular citizens scrambled to help their neighbors across the island install solar panels. The Cuban government had also announced plans to structurally reduce reliance on foreign oil by completing 92 solar parks - worth 2GW of total capacity - by 2028.The world is now getting a taste of what Cuba is going through. The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran has disrupted the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz - responsible for roughly 20% of the world's supply. This 20-mile stretch of water has brought the world's crippling reliance on fossil fuels back to the fore. Price spikes rippled across global markets almost immediately, and the effects will continue to show up on our energy bills. But while the rest of the world wakes up to the risks of fossil fuel dependence, Gov. Kathy Hochul is poised to take New York in the exact opposite direction: delaying implementation of the state's landmark all-electric building policy, approving an expensive new gas pipeline, and now threatening to roll back the state's landmark Climate Law, known as the CLCLPA. In a profoundly ironic misjudgment, Hochul is scapegoating the energy transition for problems caused by the very thing we need to transition from: fossil fuels.

Fossil-fuel reliance remains short-sighted for NY

It's not just that fossil fuels aren't good in a crisis. It's that they are the crisis. The lesson is growing increasingly unambiguous. The United Kingdom's independent climate advisors issued a new report finding the costs of reaching net-zero are less than the costs of a single fossil fuel price shock. The European Commission's President Ursula Von De Leyen said just the first 10 days of March had cost the European Union €3 billion in fossil fuel imports. She pointed to renewables as well as the Emissions Trading Scheme, or ETS, as a critical buffer, noting that "[w]ithout ETS, we would now consume 100bn m³ more gas, making us more vulnerable and more dependent."

Though most of Europe will be paying heavily for its reliance on gas, Spain's ambitious drive toward renewables over the past 6 years will leave them with some of the lowest electricity prices on the continent. And no country has internalized and acted on this recognition more than China. For more than a decade, China's entire economic strategy has been informed by the acute vulnerabilities of global fossil fuel flows and the need to pivot full force towards clean energy. It's paying off not just by cushioning costs but in enormous economic opportunity. In 2025, the clean energy sector drove more than a third of China's entire economic growth.

In contrast with the rest of the world, Hochul's attack on the CLCPA is disastrously short-sighted. Procrastinating on the inevitable clean energy transition will not make the costs of investment go away. On the contrary, it will only leave New Yorkers more exposed to the rising costs of fossil fuel reliance. NYSERDA recently reported that since the start of the war, gasoline prices have risen 21% and diesel prices have surged 28%. This is a massive transfer of wealth from New York households to the shareholders of large oil and gas companies.

Hochul's evolution on New York's landmark congestion pricing policy is instructive. After nearly caving to fear-mongering about costs, Hochul learned to embrace a policy that has been a remarkable success. New York's climate law builds on that same model. The lesson is that bold policy that improves New Yorkers' lives requires brave leadership - not backtracking.

The real solution? NY needs more clean energy

The real solution is clearer than ever - for New York and for any other region leashed to high and rising fossil fuel prices. Move faster. Electrify more of our transportation and building sectors to slash fossil fuel demand with modern, efficient technology. Arm households - especially low-income households - with clean energy like rooftop solar, batteries, and energy efficiency to shield them against high prices. Get serious about building more transmission to connect regions with plentiful renewable energy to demand centers like New York City. The energy transition will not be effortless. But the costs of the status quo are far greater.

Rachel Spector is deputy managing attorney and Sasan Saadat is senior research and policy analyst of Earthjustice.