New York SFY2024-25 budget bills have started to drop and the news is now clear: the final budget deal will not include the NY HEAT Act (S2016B/A4592B). NY HEAT was in the Senate’s one-house budget proposal and partially in the Governor’s proposal as “the Affordable Gas Transition Act.” 

The NY HEAT Act, supported by New York’s climate movement and many lawmakers all over the state, saves New Yorkers money on their energy bills while ensuring that state regulation and oversight of gas utilities provides for the equitable achievement of the climate justice and emission reduction mandates set forth in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (the CLCPA). The bill provides the Public Service Commission with the authority and direction to align gas utility regulation and gas system planning with the CLCPA’s mandate while ensuring affordable access to heating, cooling and other necessary services.   

The following statement can be attributed to Liz Moran, New York policy advocate for Earthjustice:  

“The Governor and the Assembly Majority have failed New Yorkers by excluding the NY HEAT Act in the final budget. Following 2023, the hottest year in recorded history, where New Yorkers faced dangerous air quality and smoky skies, flooding so extreme that people were stranded, extreme heat, and increasing utility bills, the Assembly’s opposition to NY HEAT demonstrates that they do not see it as their priority to cut energy bills for everyday New Yorkers or address the worsening climate crisis.  

“Sadly, when New Yorkers are saying their biggest concern is their cost of living, the Assembly caved to fossil fuel interests instead of supporting the NY HEAT Act, which would have initiated a much-needed implementation plan to ensure a cleaner and safer future away from gas, while saving New Yorkers hundreds off their energy bills annually. New Yorkers should know that the Assembly was more concerned about utility and fossil fuel profits than the cost of living and climate impacts in New York.  

“Earthjustice thanks our many partner organizations, and the bill’s sponsors, Senator Krueger and Assemblywoman Pat Fahy, for their tireless efforts. We are fully prepared, along with our partners in this tenacious movement, to continue to fight for the NY HEAT Act and action to meaningfully tackle climate change and energy affordability.”