‘NY HEAT’ bill cools, and environmentalists get hot

By Marie J. French | 04/30/2024 04:26 PM EDT

Environmentalists are steaming, and they plan to take it out on assemblymembers.

Flames emerge from burners on a natural gas stove.

Efforts to further limit the use of natural gas in New York is being met with skepticism by some Assembly Democrats for fear it could hurt industry workers and ratepayers, fueling a political campaign to beat the lawmakers at the polls this fall. Steven Senne/AP

ALBANY, New York — Efforts to further curb the use of natural gas in New York failed to win approval in the state budget.

Environmentalists are steaming, and they plan to take it out on assemblymembers.

The Spring Street Climate Fund, a Brooklyn-based advocacy group that promotes climate legislation, is starting its own campaign arm to pump money into challengers to incumbent Assembly Democrats who aren’t aggressively backing the “NY HEAT Act,” organizers told POLITICO.

Advertisement

The sweeping measure is seen as a major step in moving the state toward renewable energy by eliminating subsidies for new natural gas hookups and empowering the Public Service Commission to decommission parts of the gas system in the future.

GET FULL ACCESS