Hochul slammed as ‘out of touch’ with gas stove ban on agenda of $227B NY budget hearing
State lawmakers will dive right into debate over Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push to phase out gas stoves in New York as well as other environmental initiatives that critics say will increase costs for ordinary New Yorkers.
“There’ll be an estimated increase in their monthly bills, particularly in cold months,” state Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt (R-Lockport) said Monday about climate-minded ideas in the $227 billion budget proposal unveiled by Hochul on Feb. 1.
The governor wants to ban gas hook-ups in new buildings alongside a “cap and invest” program she claims could raise $1 billion per year by making “large-scale” polluters pay up as part of zealous efforts to meet New York’s legally mandated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050.
But her electrification proposal would effectively ban gas stoves in smaller new buildings beginning in 2025 and larger structures three years later – an idea that has fueled outrage among Republicans who it’s impractical given the current level of renewable energy available to the grid.
“[My constituents] are talking about gas stoves and the state’s imposition of a policy that just doesn’t make sense where we live,” Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-Binghamton) told reporters at the state Capitol Monday after meeting with members of the GOP Assembly minority.
“They got rid of the gas stoves from the Governor’s Mansion yet,” Molinaro added, making reference to Hochul still using the very fossil fuel appliances she is trying to ban in new buildings moving forward.
Republican criticism of the climate proposals is part of broader attacks on the draft spending plan, which would also ban fossil fuel heating systems in new buildings by 2035, ahead of the April 1 budget deadline.
“The policies coming from the governor and her allies on the left aren’t just bad policies,” Ortt said at a press conference alongside GOP colleagues.
“They are irresponsibly, out-of-touch with the reality that most New Yorkers are facing – and it’s the key indicator why people are leaving the state of New York.”
Ortt, who said utility companies have informed his environmental positions, highlighted Monday how Hochul is also pushing to divert local Medicaid funding to state coffers alongside efforts to implement congestion pricing and increase the MTA payroll tax on employees, all of which Republicans argue will hit the bottom lines of New Yorkers amid historically high inflation.
The Republican leader acknowledged that many of the proposed policies could lead to savings for consumers “over 25 or 30 years” while adding that such relief would not come soon enough for many people in the short term.
Hochul spokesman Hazel Crampton-Hays argued that her environmental ideas would be good for New Yorkers’ pocketbooks while lessening their reliance on fossil fuels like gasoline and natural gas — and the price swings that come along with them.
“Continued reliance on fossil fuels exposes New Yorkers to dramatic price swings at the gas pump and on utility bills. New Yorkers can’t afford inaction on climate, and we’re delivering hundreds of millions of dollars to hardworking New Yorkers across the State to alleviate any costs from the transition to clean energy,” Crampton-Hays said.
But Republicans signaled Monday that they intend to bring some heat to the Tuesday budget hearing, where colleagues from both parties will examine the governor’s various environmental proposals and whether they make sense.
“We need common sense initiatives in the budget and we need realistic goals that are not going to be a detriment to our residents as New York state continues to be an unaffordable place to live,” Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-Staten Island) said.
The hearing is expected to include Hochul administration officials as well as policy experts from academia and environmental advocacy groups like the New York League of Conservation Voters, with Republicans likely to speak out against controversial items like the proposed gas stove ban.
State lawmakers are expected to lean on such testimony to justify the one-house budget resolutions that the Democrat-dominated state Senate and Assembly are expected to pass in upcoming weeks to highlight their budget priorities ahead of final negotiations between Hochul, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx).
Budget hearings will continue through March 1, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams expected to attend a Wednesday hearing on local government issues — informally known as “Tin Cup Day” — where he will make his pitch for more state funding on a variety of fronts including expanding charter schools and paying for the care of thousands of migrants arriving from the southern border.
