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

HUDSON, NY (10/18/2023) (readMedia)-- Climate activists and elected officials dished out free bowls of hot chili at the Hudson Library on October 17th as part of a statewide tour by the Renewable Heat Now Campaign to call on Governor Hochul to lead the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy and put the NY HEAT Act in the 2024 Executive Budget.

The New York Home Energy Affordable Transition Act (NY HEAT Act) will cap utility bills for low- and middle-income New Yorkers at 6% of household income, saving New Yorkers up to $75/month. The bill will also eliminate a subsidy to the gas industry for incentivizing gas hookups called the "100-foot rule".

The New York State Senate passed the NY HEAT Act in the last legislative session, but the NYS Assembly failed to put it to a vote. This year climate advocates are calling on Governor Hochul to put the bill into the Executive Budget which would force the Assembly to act.

The Hot Chili Event hosted by Third Act Upstate New York, For the Many, and Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith, included a cantastoria style teach-in on the NY HEAT Act, music by Sarah Stockwell-Arthen, and delicious vegetarian chili heated on a gas-free induction cooktop.

Following a hot, flooded, toxic air-filled summer, most New Yorkers are stuck relying on the dirty, expensive, outdated fracked gas system to stay warm as the weather gets cooler.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 other energy bills are skyrocketing across the state on top of the many added expenses of climate change.

"The NY HEAT Act provides for an energy affordability guarantee, capping utility bills at 6% of income for low and moderate income households." said Michael Chameides, Columbia County Board of Supervisors Third Ward. "Without this provision, the statewide transition from fossil fuels risks falling unfairly on those most harmed by our extractive energy system and least able to pay."

Michael Richardson of Third Act Upstate New York explained that, under current state law, the so-called "100-foot rule" requires utilities to supply gas to any customer within 100 feet of an existing line and demands that all the other ratepayers foot the bill to hook them up. "Instead of compelling ratepayers to continue to invest in new gas distribution infrastructure, the NY HEAT Act will enable utilities to invest in neighborhood-scale clean heating and cooling projects while mitigating rate increases for remaining gas customers. Any further delay in passing the NY HEAT Act puts us further behind in realistically achieving meaningful emissions reductions in the building sector." Richardson said.

See photos and videos from the event

"New York state doesn't have to choose between addressing climate change or addressing the cost of living crisis. With the NY HEAT Act we can do both by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering utility bills. I call on our state legislators to cosponsor the NY HEAT Act and pass it in 2024!" said Claire Cousin, Columbia County Board of Supervisors First Ward.

"This chili is delicious, but the inaction of our state government is demoralizing. We need to pass the NY HEAT Act to lower utility bills and combat the climate crisis. It's time to turn up the heat on the State Legislature and Governor Hochul to get it done!" said Daniel Atonna, Political Coordinator at For the Many

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.

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Background

According to a new Siena poll, 8 in 10 New Yorkers across party lines say the high cost of living in New York is a major problem. ConEd's electric and gas rates were increased in August, and National Grid and Central Hudson are also in the process of pursuing rate hikes, contributing to New York's cost of living problem. But the NY HEAT Act can relieve New Yorkers of these skyrocketing bills.

The NY HEAT Act would save low and middle income families money – up to $75/month – on their energy bills so they don't spend more than 6% of their income for energy. That's significant savings for families that already spend three times more of their income on energy bills than other households. The bill would save all gas customers in New York $200 million annually by ending the 100-foot rule, which forces every day New Yorkers to subsidize the expansion of the gas system. It will also allow utilities to redirect an estimated $150 billion that it will cost to complete planned gas pipe replacements over the next 20 years, and instead invest in neighborhood-scale building electrification that will free rate payers from volatile price spikes driven by reliance on fossil fuels. By ending the 100-foot rule and other important provisions that would help New York get off gas, the NY HEAT Act would accelerate New York's transition off climate-killing fossil fuels. This summer, New Yorkers felt the impact of climate change more than ever, experiencing public health and environmental crises like extreme heat, flooding, and wildfire smoke.

Extreme weather defined summer 2023 in New York. Early September's three-day heat wave sent temperatures 20 degrees higher than usual. July and August were the planet's hottest months on record. Heat kills about 350 New Yorkers each year, with Black New Yorkers more than twice as likely to die from heat as white residents. This number will likely rise as climate change worsens. And according to research covered in the New York Times, heat waves across the United States would have been 'virtually impossible' without the influence of human-caused climate change.

It's not just extreme heat costing New Yorkers' lives and wallets because of climate change. New Yorkers choked on toxic air several times throughout this summer thanks to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. During the first 'Smoke Bomb,' NYC ERs saw double the usual amount of asthma visits. And earlier in July, Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha held a press conference at the Rhinecliff Amtrak Station, demanding the Assembly pass the NY HEAT Act following the devastating flooding in the Hudson Valley. The torrential rainfall with 9 inches of rain in over 24 hours killed an Orange County resident. It also knocked out Amtrak and Metro-North service for three days and completely washed away highways, making it impossible for people to get to work. The damage from the flooding is estimated to cost over $35 million.

The NY HEAT Act passed the Senate at the end of last session, and momentum around the bill, which now has 70 co-sponsors in the Assembly, continued all summer. Throughout August, more than 30 lawmakers participated in the "Hot, Broke Summer" ice cream tour across NYC, handing ice cream out to their constituents, talking about energy savings and climate change, and building support for the bill.

In 2022 and 2023, NY HEAT was blocked by campaigns financed by the fossil fuel industry. In 2023, the utility National Fuel Gas used ratepayer money to finance a campaign against building electrification. And in 2022, a campaign financed by the fossil fuel industry that spread disinformation and lies derailed the bill. The industry has set up a front group called New Yorkers for Affordable Energy to preserve the status quo. A report from Little Sis reviewed the organization's tax filings which show that its mission is "to expand natural gas service." The group is meant to have the appearance of a grassroots coalition, but it was founded and is run by fossil fuel executives. From the report: "The coalition is backed by a range of fossil fuel companies and lobbying groups, including utility companies National Fuel and National Grid; pipeline companies Williams, Enbridge, and Millennium Pipeline; and the American Petroleum Institute. Other backers include corporate lobbying groups like the Business Council of New York State, regional chambers of commerce like the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and fossil fuel industry trade groups like Independent Power Producers of New York and Energy Coalition New York."

Nationwide, the fossil fuel industry is still heavily involved in misinformation efforts against necessary legislation like this. The New York Times reported about the Propane Education Research Council sponsoring HGTV star Matt Blashaw. Blashaw calls propane - which contributes to climate change and is the most expensive heating fuel- "an energy source for everyone."