Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, has proposed a delay to the state’s landmark 2019 climate law, saying its goals would be too costly and could worsen already-expensive utility bills.
But a coalition of climate, labor, and community groups counters that there are serious costs to not meeting the law’s climate goals—like more expensive energy bills, lost jobs, and health impacts caused by pollution.
Delaying the law would cost New Yorkers nearly $9,000 on their energy bills per household over five years, due to the loss of billions of dollars in energy credits or rebates, according to an analysis from NY Renews.
The proposed rollbacks would mean roughly 150,000 jobs lost statewide, as well as 5,000 premature deaths and 4,000 asthma hospitalizations over the next five years.
Hochul’s proposed Climate Law changes
In 2019, New York state passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, known colloquially as the Climate Law. It was signed into law by Hochul’s predecessor Andrew Cuomo.
It was a landmark policy, making New York “one of the first states to put in law enforceable mandates that the state decarbonize and take steps to meet its climate goals,” says Stephan Edel, executive director of NY Renews.
The law requires cutting greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030 (as compared to 1990 levels) and 85% by 2050.
