NY's climate law clashes with Gov. Hochul's affordability campaign

"For us to meet the goals on the timeframe that was set by the Legislature, there's going to be enormous cost to families - enormous. For businesses suffering from already high energy costs and tariffs, it's cataclysmic."

"Hochul, a moderate Democrat, says she stands by the intent of the law, which also includes targets to shift the state's power grid to renewable energy. But Hochul has drawn the conclusion that the financial cost of making the climate goals a reality doesn't align with her unrelenting focus on affordability."

"The governor had once been a supporter of a 'cap and invest' program, which would take money garnered from allowances that polluters must buy to offset their emissions and put it toward renewable energy projects and other measures to reduce emissions."

Governor Kathy Hochul is pushing to scale back New York's landmark 2019 climate law, which mandates cutting greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, while transitioning the power grid to renewable energy. Hochul, a moderate Democrat seeking reelection, argues the financial costs of meeting these climate goals conflict with her central campaign focus on affordability. She contends the expenses would impose enormous costs on families and be catastrophic for businesses already burdened by high energy costs and tariffs. While Hochul claims to support the law's intent, she has not yet proposed specific rollbacks, though negotiations with lawmakers are underway. Her efforts face opposition from over two dozen Democratic state legislators who refuse to support scaling back the law.

Read at Gothamist