Energy & Environment: Powering New York’s Future Responsibly

Governor’s Note: New York’s energy crisis is not about the weather—it’s about leadership. We’ve got pipelines shut down, energy bills skyrocketing, and families forced to choose between heat and food. Meanwhile, radical climate regulations destroy small businesses while the worst global polluters expand unchecked. It’s time for a New York-first energy policy that’s clean, reliable, and economically sound.

What It Takes to Get It Done: Reforming energy and environmental policy isn’t about denying climate science—it’s about denying bad economics and broken politics. As Governor, I will:

• Declare a State Energy Emergency on day one and freeze any further energy shutdowns or pipeline denials until full cost-impact studies are completed.
• Expand natural gas access and small-scale hydro and nuclear power through fast-tracked permits and regulatory exemptions in rural and upstate NY zones.
• Launch a “Keep the Lights On” infrastructure plan to modernize the grid, harden substations, and build battery storage using NY-sourced materials.
• Create a Green Jobs Transfer Fund to retrain fossil fuel workers for high-paying infrastructure and clean-energy roles—without cutting anyone loose.
• End energy poverty by capping utility price hikes and offering off-grid energy rebates for low-income residents and senior citizens.
• Overhaul NYSERDA and DEC to end political lobbying, enforce real results, and slash delays that stall local energy independence projects.

Why This Matters to You

• New Yorkers pay the 7th highest electricity rates in the U.S. while suffering the most blackouts in the Northeast.
• Over 1 in 4 NY households report skipping essentials like food or medication to pay energy bills during winter months.
• Upstate New York has lost over 12,000 energy sector jobs since 2018 due to anti-fossil fuel mandates.
• DEC permitting backlogs delay renewable and natural gas projects by an average of 14–36 months.
• Energy costs drive up housing prices. When power gets expensive, so does rent. So do groceries. So does business.
• Grid instability and transmission failures cost New York businesses an estimated $3.2 billion per year in losses.
• New York imports more electricity than any other Northeast state, even as local resources sit unused due to bureaucratic red tape.
• Nearly 70% of NY energy still comes from fossil fuels, but we’re not allowed to build efficient plants or pipelines to make it cleaner or cheaper.
• Zero-emission goals without economic realism are already causing rolling blackouts and energy rationing in other blue states. We will not repeat that failure.
• The climate can’t be fixed by bankrupting families. Real reform means global leverage, not local self-sabotage.

This isn’t about left or right—it’s about whether your lights come on when you flip the switch. Let’s power New York with common sense, not climate theater.