In the closing days of the New York legislative session, the fate of the NY HEAT Act, which would take crucial steps toward meeting the state’s climate goals and addressing the persistent energy affordability crisis, is still uncertain.

While the Governor and the Senate have long supported versions of the bill, the Assembly has been a persistent obstacle to moving the bill forward, adding to its long track record of proposing exceptions, delays and loopholes to weaken the implementation of climate laws. With only two days left in the legislative calendar, time is running out for Albany to seize this opportunity to save New Yorkers money and ensure greenhouse gas emission reduction targets are met by ending the gas mandate.

Advocates released the following statement calling on the Assembly to prioritize measures to curb the rising costs of utility bills for low-income New Yorkers and end the gas mandate in a timely manner to ensure the state is on track with emission reduction targets:

“If the Assembly continues to block and delay the common sense provisions for energy affordability and climate action in NY HEAT, they will be responsible for ensuring New Yorkers face higher bills and worsening climate disasters for years to come,” said Jessica Azulay, Executive Director of Alliance for a Green Economy. “New Yorkers cannot wait another year for Albany to address the outrageous utility bill increases and remove the obstacles that prevent us from avoiding costly gas infrastructure and meet people’s energy needs with more affordable and cleaner solutions.”

“The Assembly and the Governor have a choice – they can get a deal on NY HEAT done that ensures New York is on track to meet our nation-leading climate law and tackles the relentlessly rising costs of gas bills, or they can let New Yorkers face another hot, expensive, climate crisis summer,” said Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate with Earthjustice. “With recent news about utility rate increases for New Yorkers across the state and each of the past 12 months breaking average record temperatures, it could not be more critical for the Assembly and Governor to strike a deal before the close of session that ensures a timely end to the gas mandate and measures to curb utility bills.”

“As the legislature wraps up the 2024 legislative session they should not leave the State Capitol without fixing New York’s obviously broken energy law that mandates New Yorkers pay the enormous cost to build out and maintain climate crisis causing gas infrastructure,” said Michael Hernandez, Rewiring America’s New York Policy Director. “New Yorkers shouldn’t be required to pay for polluting infrastructure that they don’t want, and the state legislature needs to take action before the end of session to eliminate the gas mandate.”

“It is so incredibly backwards that the Assembly continues to delay passing NY HEAT. Their inaction continues to enable fossil fuel companies across the state that want to increase energy costs on New Yorkers already struggling to pay their bills to maintain and expand an outdated, dirty, gas system,” said Annie Carforo, Climate Justice Campaign Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “This is common sense legislation that reduces costs, delivers clean, reliable energy to New Yorkers, and allows for an orderly transition off of fossil fuels in alignment with our state’s mandated climate goals. All eyes are on the Assembly to get this deal done – New Yorkers cannot afford to wait another year.”