Lawmakers and Advocates Take NY HEAT Chili Tour to Columbia County; Fight Rising Energy Bills & Climate Change

HUDSON, NY (10/17/2023) (readMedia)-- Following a hot, flooded, toxic air-filled summer, most New Yorkers are stuck relying on the dirty, expensive, outdated fracked gas system to stay warm as the weather gets cooler. Meanwhile, gas and energy bills are skyrocketing across the state on top of the many added expenses of climate change. Columbia County advocates and elected officials will hand out free bowls of chili cooked on gas-free induction cooktops, to help constituents warm up while they demand relief from Governor Hochul in the form of the NY HEAT Act.

The NY HEAT Act, which gained serious momentum during Albany's 2023 legislative session and passed in the NYS Senate, will stop expansion of the fracked gas system and save the average low or middle income New Yorker up to $75/month on their utility bills. On top of the $75 monthly savings, NY HEAT 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 and heat, and turned the sky orange this spring.

The NY HEAT Chili Tour follows the "hot, broke summer ice cream tour," where elected officials and advocates handed out free ice cream across New York City and spoke with residents about how the NY HEAT Act fights climate change while reducing bills.