NYC Lawmakers, Advocates Urge Gov Hochul To Sign 100-foot Rule Repeal, Protect Climate + Lower Energy Bills

NEW YORK, NY (09/25/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, as part of Climate Week NYC, State Senator Liz Krueger and Assemblymembers Jo Anne Simon and Harvey Epstein rallied with advocates and residents to urge Governor Hochul to sign legislation to repeal the "100-foot rule." The 100-foot rule forces families to pay more on their energy bills to utilities so they can expand the polluting fracked gas system, threatening New Yorkers' health and costing ratepayers more than $200 million every year. Governor Hochul is proudly highlighting New York's investment in lowering emissions - now she has a chance to sign the only major climate bill on her desk that would help address New York's climate and energy affordability crises.

Watch a recording of the event here.

View images from the event here.

"This Climate Week, Governor Hochul has a chance to take real action to address our climate crisis and sign the only major climate legislation on her desk: the repeal of the 100-foot rule. Repealing this outdated mandate will provide real relief for New Yorkers, and is the bare minimum the Governor can do to show she is serious about tackling our climate and energy affordability crises. It's time to put New Yorkers first and sign this bill into law," said Senator Liz Krueger.

"Climate Week is a reminder that the State's bold climate goals mean nothing without action. In today's world, it makes no sense that New Yorkers are paying higher utility bills to expand dirty gas infrastructure that harms the environment and enriches utility companies. We must repeal the 100-foot rule to save families money, reduce pollution, and help us move toward clean, affordable energy. I urge Governor Hochul to sign this bill and protect our climate," said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.

"With the Trump administration determined to sabotage the transition to clean energy, New York State must step up. Repealing the outdated 100-foot rule is necessary to not only meet our climate goals but also save New York families hundreds of millions of dollars per year. The state legislature has acted – Governor Hochul should finish the job and sign the repeal into law now," said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

In June, Albany lawmakers voted to repeal the 100-foot rule and end the subsidy that allows utilities to charge New Yorkers more for the same energy. If signed, the bill would save New Yorkers an estimated $200 million every year. Repealing the 100-foot rule would also enable utilities to invest instead in a cleaner, more affordable energy future - instead of saddling New Yorkers with millions to expand the system that is increasingly unaffordable for too many families.

Elected officials across the state are now stepping up their efforts to get Governor Hochul to sign the bill before the end of the year. Today, 60 local elected officials from across the state sent a letter to the Governor urging her to pass the 100-foot rule and protect their constituents from utilities.

In the letter, lawmakers write, "this outdated policy forces ratepayers to pay approximately $200 million every year to cover the cost of new fossil fuel infrastructure - even though the state has committed to phasing out fossil fuels in the coming years. The rule creates an unfair advantage for gas utilities and prevents them from investing instead in clean energy alternatives, undermining both our climate goals and energy affordability objectives." Read the full letter here.

Last month, more than 50 members of the state legislature signed a similar letter to the Governor, writing, "New Yorkers should not be paying millions to companies that are abusing outdated laws in order to bring in record profits." Repealing the 100-foot rule also has support from NYC Mayoral candidates, including Mayor Adams and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.

The rally also follows Governor Hochul's announcement yesterday that New York State is investing more than $1 billion to lower emissions - even though the State approved the funds months ago and the Governor has so far neglected to sign the only major climate legislation that would reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

"The 100-foot rule is an outdated relic that allows utilities to increase their profits on our backs and do it by expanding the same dirty, fracked gas system that's hurting our climate. Getting rid of this handout to corporate utilities is a critical step toward both lowering New Yorkers' energy bills and holding those utilities accountable to working families struggling to get by. Thankfully, Albany lawmakers have acted. Now, it's on Governor Hochul to finish the job and sign this bill into law and address our energy affordability and climate crises before it's too late," said Lisa Marshall, Advocacy and Organizing Director New Yorkers for Clean Power.

"The 100-foot rule has been nothing more than a subsidy for polluting utilities, forcing New Yorkers to bankroll an expansion of dirty fracked gas at the very moment we need to be moving off fossil fuels," said Eric Weltman, New York Senior Organizer at Food & Water Watch. "Repealing this outdated law will save families hundreds of millions of dollars while protecting our health and climate. Governor Hochul can show she's serious about standing up to corporate polluters and standing with everyday New Yorkers by signing this bill into law without delay."

"CUNY students are very familiar with the cost of living crisis here in NYC, between paying for school, textbooks, rent, and of course, utility bills. And nothing's getting cheaper. Just this summer, New York State approved more rate increases that will raise bills even higher for families just like mine," said Isaiah Davis, a BMCC student and intern with NYPIRG. "It's more important than ever that New York does everything we can to prevent climate catastrophe AND make New York more affordable for us -- and that means getting off of fossil fuels. This is an easy, obvious stand that the Governor can take right now; Governor Hochul, we need you to sign the 100 foot rule bill."

Background

As the cost of building and maintaining our aging gas infrastructure continues to rise, utilities across the state have raised rates to pass those costs onto customers and keep us hooked on a fracked gas system that is already unaffordable. Since 2022, every major New York gas utility has raised costs on consumers, causing more than 1.2 million families to fall behind on their energy bills. At the same time, the Trump administration has threatened federal energy affordability programs, making state action even more essential.

As energy bills continue to rise across the country, other states are considering ending similar subsidies for gas utilities. Last month, Massachusetts state regulators issued an order to end their own version of the 100-foot rule, joining California, Colorado, Connecticut, and Maryland as the first states to repeal outdated gas mandates that cost ratepayers more money.