State Senate Republicans say New York state should drop a proposed end to natural gas hookups in new construction following a federal court ruling that struck down a similar provision enacted in a California city.
Republicans in the state Senate cited the federal Court of Appeals ruling against the measure in Berkeley, Calif., as Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul negotiate a budget that could advance laws to limit the use of fossil fuels and require cleaner and more renewable forms of energy.
The Republican conference last week signed onto a letter urging Hochul and top Democrats to drop the potential ban on new natural gas hookups in buildings that will be constructed in the coming years.
Democrats in the Legislature and Hochul differ on the timetable for when the ban would take effect: Hochul's all-electric rule would take effect in 2026. Senate Democrats want a year earlier. The Senate plan would include buildings of seven stories or less; Hochul is eyeing structures of three stories or less. Both plans would remove hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon from the environment.
But Republicans instead believe the state should take a more measured approach with energy policy.
“Instead of trying to push an unconstitutional one size fits all fossil fuel ban in our state’s budget, we request that you instead advocate for affordable solutions in pursuing a cleaner energy future, such as independent cost studies and full transparency; support diverse energy sources; keep needed power supply online to ensure reliability of our grid; and oppose unaffordable mandates on consumers," Senate Republicans wrote in the letter.
Environmental organizations have argued the changes are necessary in order to enact the goals of a sweeping law meant to curtail the effects of climate change in New York by sharply reducing carbon emissions by midcentury.
"It is very feasible all over the state to build efficient, highly livable homes and businesses that are all electric," state Sen. Brian Kavanagh said earlier this year.