Lawmakers who lead state climate policy said Friday they will push to expand New York's biofuels market as higher costs and supply chain issues make it more difficult for New York to meet its aggressive climate goals.

Biofuels are biodegradable liquid fuel made from a blend of petroleum and cooking oils or animal fats, which are cleaner than traditional fossil fuels. Some energy stakeholders want biofuels to be mandated to be part of the state's renewable energy plans as Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she wants to use an "all-of-the-above" approach to reduce New York's emissions as mandated under the Climate Act.

"We need to take a realistic approach to this — we’re not just going to flip a switch tomorrow morning and everything is going to be electric," said Rocco Lacertosa, chief executive officer of the NY Energy Coalition.

He wants lawmakers to pass legislation next session to create a clean fuel standard and mandate the use of 100% biofuels by 2050. The bill is expected to be amended and reintroduced with a new sponsor before session resumes in January.

Senate Environmental Conservation Committee chair Pete Harckham said he plans to work to advance the proposal when lawmakers return to Albany.

"I am very supportive of the Clean Fuel Standard and will work with colleagues on it next year," Harckham said Friday.

Lacertosa said biofuels offer a low-cost solution to decarbonization, and are already used in the state as work is done to electrify new buildings and heating systems — an expensive and time-consuming investment. He argues relying on biofuels will give time to build up the electric grid time and accommodate powering homes and utilities for more than 19 million people.

"It's a very simple transition for [a] conventional burner to put a new pump on; it’s not a great deal of cost compared to putting in a heat pump that can go anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 because of the size of the units you might need depending on the size of the house," Lacertosa said.

The average price of compressed natural gas is 11 cents less than an equivalent gallon of gasoline and 61 cents less than diesel fuel, according to a U.S. Department of Energy report from January.

State energy leaders have offered few details about how state climate costs won't be placed on the backs of taxpayers. Because biofuels are less expensive than conventional heating oil, supporters say expanding the market would reduce the cost to consumers to meet the state's emission deadlines.

The state recently met its goal of 6 gigawatts of solar energy — one year ahead of schedule set under the Climate Act.

"This milestone means that we are literally powering over 1 million New York state homes with distributed solar, and not only homes and businesses, but low- to moderate-income households across our state as well," New York State Energy Research & Development Authority President Doreen Harris said in Albany on Thursday.

There's concerns the state cannot rely on solar and wind power alone. But when it comes to biofuels, environmentalists aren't on board.

Environmental groups say the low-carbon fuel standard runs counter to the Climate Act and are fighting hard against expanding the market.

“Biofuels are a bridge to nowhere that would not only delay the state from achieving its climate law mandates, but would do nothing to reduce air pollution in communities," said Liz Moran, a New York policy advocate with environmental group Earthjustice. "Several studies have found that co-pollutants, like NOx and VOCs, are emitted at comparable, and sometimes higher, levels as fossil fuels. New York is far beyond a policy like this, which belongs back in the 1990s. Instead, New York should further its policies to ensure widespread adoption of electric vehicles, which only continue to grow in popularity and don’t come with dirty pollution.”