Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for New York State Governor, spoke Saturday at Centerway Square in Corning, taking aim at utility costs and other affordability concerns for New Yorkers ahead of November’s general election.
Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate, said New Yorkers face the highest energy costs in a generation.
“I almost fell off my chair when I was watching Hochul’s State of the State speech this year where she was talking about how affordability is a problem in our state,” Blakeman said. “You’ve been governor for more than four years; it’s the governor’s job to make the state more affordable.
“She’s made it less affordable,” Blakeman added. “This is the most overtaxed, over regulated state in the United States of America and that’s saying something.”
Hochul has made affordability a key component of her 2026 agenda, with policies aimed at bringing down costs for insurance, housing, childcare and utilities.
Blakeman noted that New York State’s electric utility costs are roughly 50% higher than the national average.
“Only 30 percent of your payment goes to energy. The rest goes for taxes. They even tax the utility bill. Delivery costs are excessive,” said Blakeman, who also criticized the state’s green energy policies.
Blakeman said he would support fracking in a bid to boost the state’s energy portfolio and its economy.
“Everybody who knows anything about economics and science knows that this green energy scam will never produce the energy that we will need as residents of this state,” Blakeman said. “On top of that, we are sitting one of the largest natural gas reserves in the whole world right here in New York State and we don’t drill, we don’t increase our supply for using a raw material here in New York.”
Blakeman said instead New York imports its raw material from over the border of Pennsylvania.
“It makes no sense,” Blakeman said. “That’s why people are moving out. Not only would we make the Southern Tier prosperous, but we’d also make it exciting and vibrant and create jobs and economic development to help these small businesses.”
Blakeman also made other stops Saturday in the Southern Tier.
Several of the Southern Tier’s state representatives, including State Senator Tom O’Mara, R-Big Flats, State Assemblyman Phil Palmesano, R-Corning, and Assemblyman Joe Sempolinski, R-Canisteo, spoke in support of Blakeman during the event in Corning.
This article originally appeared on The Leader: Bruce Blakeman talks utility costs, affordability in Corning visit
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
