Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed extending a key regulation deadline in New York’s climate protection law, which has been at the heart of a state budget battle in recent weeks.
Currently, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requires New York to generate 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, fully transition to zero-emission electricity by 2040 and shed all fossil fuel use by 2050.
Under the governor’s proposal revealed on Friday, March 20, Hochul said she’s pushing to amend the law so that regulations to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions be issued at the end of 2030, instead of the previous deadline of 2024 that the state already missed.
She is also seeking to change what emission limits the regulations are tied to — including a new 2040 target as well as the existing 2050 statewide emission limits, according to an op-ed Hochul published in Empire Report.
“This is solely out of necessity — to protect New Yorkers’ pocketbooks and economy,” Hochul said. “Nothing else in the CLCPA is changing regarding the existing statewide emission limit targets and these new regulations would still require the state to make timely progress, ensuring long-term policy stability.”
How did we get here on NY climate law?
A memo released by the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on Feb. 26 warned natural gas and home-heating oil costs could jump as much as $4,200 a year for homes outside of New York City and gas prices would rise by $2.23 per gallon on top of the existing cost by 2031, if the state goes through with the already agreed upon CLCPA plan.
The memo, as well as a lawsuit filed against the state for missing a number of deadlines related to the implementation of the CLCPA, has led Hochul to reevaluate the state’s climate law. The governor has said the COVID pandemic, high inflation and the Trump administration has made a difference between now and when the climate law was first passed.
Supporters of the CLCPA are calling Hochul’s uncertainty about it a distraction and say that extending the timeline of the state’s climate law will only worsen the state’s already dire energy costs situation. And those who take issue with the climate law say the governor’s latest actions affirm their long-standing concerns about its ambitious goals.
How trade groups, lawmakers are responding to Hochul’s proposal
Liz Moran, New York policy advocate for environmental law nonprofit Earthjustice, says Hochul’s proposal is a “cover for her own failure of leadership.”
“Eleven days before the budget is due, the governor just released her proposal to totally renege on the climate law so she can keep doing nothing,” Moran said during a news conference on March 20. “Instead of working together with the Legislature to drive down New Yorkers’ skyrocketing energy bills, she’s trying to use the budget process to make a secret deal.”
Moran added Hochul is “causing chaos” when one-in-four New Yorkers can’t afford their energy bills.
The Business Council of New York State, a nonprofit business advocacy organization in support of Hochul’s intentions to push back the state’s climate law, says the governor’s proposals “are reasonable and necessary corrections.”
“Extending the CLCPA’s regulatory timeline and adopting conventional greenhouse gas reporting standards are sensible steps toward ensuring the law is workable and affordable for households and businesses alike,” The Business Council president and CEO Heather Mulligan said in a statement.
“Importantly, these necessary amendments do not affect the state’s amendments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy storage,” Mulligan said.
“Since New York will remain a national leader in responding to climate change and one of the most energy- and carbon-efficient states, we strongly urge the Senate and Assembly to support these reforms as part of a final FY 2027 state budget,” she added.
Lawmakers have also weighed in on Hochul’s proposal to alter the CLCPA’s timeline.
Assemblymember Al Stirpe, a Syracuse-area Democrat, said he was unaware of Hochul’s announcement before the information was released and hopes the governor will talk to the Legislature about it.
“I like the governor. She’s done a lot of good things,” Stirpe said during a news conference. “But I disagree on some things, this is one of the things, and I think she just could have done a much better job.”
Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, a Western New York Republican, continued to push the repeal of the CLCPA in response to Hochul’s proposal.
“Today’s announcement by Governor Hochul attempting to amend the state’s costly and unrealistic Climate Act is the latest example of her effort to roll back a disastrous policy she previously championed simply because it is an election year,” Ortt said in a statement on March 20.
“She’s not proposing meaningful changes to Albany’s unaffordable energy policies, but meaningless delays that will do nothing to help lower New Yorker’s utility costs today or in the near term,” he added.
This story has been updated with additional information
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers’ taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: How Kathy Hochul proposes to weaken NY’s climate protection law
Reporting by Emily Barnes, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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