Advocates Call on Hochul to Fund NY HEAT Act in Next State Budget
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
By Martin Wilbur
Advocates for the environment and working-class New Yorkers held rallies last Thursday across the state to pressure Gov. Kathy Hochul to include money in next year’s budget that would cap energy prices for residents.
A local rally to gather support for the NY Home Energy Affordable Transition Act (NY HEAT Act) took place underneath the gazebo in downtown Peekskill, led by Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg (D-Ossining), representatives of Food & Water Watch and other organizations.
Supporters of the initiative said it would accelerate renewable energy in the state because it would repeal several amendments to the state’s Public Service Law, which has subsidized more gas pipelines. It would also force energy companies to connect new homes to an existing gas main for free for those residents within 100 feet of the hookup point.
Therefore, the likely outcome would be a cleaner environment along with less expensive utility bills, Levenberg contended.
“We want to make sure the HEAT Act passes because what it does is make it more affordable for New Yorkers to live here,” Levenberg said. “It caps utility bills at 6 percent of a person’s income, and right now there is no cap on utilities It also makes it easier for utilities to actually build out the green infrastructure that we need by not putting the money to build out needless gas infrastructure.”
The NY HEAT Act is virtually the same as last year’s legislative session, but advocates are gathering momentum for its campaign before the start of the next session and prior to Hochul’s release of her proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget next month.
Levenberg said the focus this year is to convince the governor to include the NY HEAT Act in the executive budget, which would be a more expedited route than needing both houses of the legislature to pass the bill followed by Hochul’s signature.
In a report last March by NY Renews, a coalition of well over 300 environmental, social justice, faith and labor organizations, nearly one-quarter of New York households are “energy burdened,” meaning they spend more than 6 percent of their annual income on energy bills.
The same report said those who fall into that category would save an average of $136 a month if the HEAT Act was enacted.
Len Simon, the deputy mayor for the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, said more than 9 percent of his community’s households earn less than $50,000 a year, which is about one-third of the average Westchester household income.
It would be of greatest assistance to those who need the most help, he said.
“The HEAT Act would help everyone in Croton, but it will have the greatest impact on the ones that most strongly feel the simultaneous effect of rising energy costs, increased housing prices, inflation at the pump and grocery store and so many other places that pressure their monthly budgets,” said Simon.
Suzie Ross, a committee member for Green Ossining, said she was confident the HEAT Act would lower the carbon impact and help the state do its part to fight climate change.
“What we need is the NY HEAT Act to help bridge the transition to clean energy by ending the subsidies associated with fossil fuel infrastructure, lowering utility bill costs for those who need it the most and providing utility companies with clean energy jobs, all adding up to providing equitable pathways to cleaner and healthier living environments,” Ross said.
In recent years, Levenberg said the biggest obstacle has been concern over funding sources for the initiative. That’s why advocates are leaning on Hochul to include in the executive budget.
The NY HEAT Act has been approved in the Senate twice but has stalled in the Assembly, she said. It is believed that it currently has support of at least half the Assembly, Levenberg said.
If Hochul fails to include it in her budget, Levenberg said she plans to be a prime Assembly sponsor of what would be another legislative effort in 2025.
Emily Skydel, a Hudson Valley senior organizer for the advocacy group Food & Water Watch, said many organizations are gearing up for another visible show of support for the HEAT Act.
“We have so much to fight for,” Skydel said. “We need so much to be done. We need to pass the HEAT Act right now.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
