NEW YORK, NY — On April 16, 2026 members of NY Renews, Renewable Heat Now, Sane Energy Project, Food & Water Watch, New Yorkers for Clean Power, Rise and Resist, 350Brooklyn, Make the Road, Climate Clock, Quaker Activism, and concerned New Yorkers joined faith leaders from GreenFaith for a rally at Union Square Park In Manhattan against Governor Hochul’s attempt to weaken the state’s Climate Law and keep us stuck on dirty and expensive fossil fuels.
Last month, the Governor continued her hard pivot to embrace fossil fuels and revealed plans to gut the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) under the guise of “affordability” for everyday people. Now, New Yorkers are demanding that state lawmakers hold the line and reject the Governor’s push to sacrifice our future so she can score political points and appease her fossil fuel donors.
“We must invest in clean, renewable energy that is life-giving and life-sustaining. We have a responsibility in this nation to uphold our climate commitments, to protect communities, reduce harm, and move toward shared flourishing. That is why I urge Governor Kathy Hochul to stand firm in upholding the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Governor Hochul, choose energy from heaven, not from the depths that poison and divide. Choose what sustains life, not what desecrates it. Choose a future where our children inherit clean air, safe water, and a stable climate. Governor Hochul, will you choose a life-giving future, or continue down a path that deals in death?” Rev. Mira Sawlani-Joyner, Minister of Justice, Advocacy and Change at The Riverside Church in New York City.
Last month, the Governor revealed her plan to gut New York’s Climate Law and maintain the fossil fuel status quo in the name of “affordability” — even though New Yorkers’ high energy bills are being caused by skyrocketing gas prices. Instead of investing in renewable energy to actually lower energy bills, the Governor is trying to force state lawmakers to accept a proposal to change how the State accounts for methane so it appears our emissions have declined when they have not. Her proposal would also delay requirements to implement regulations under the law until December 31, 2030, pushing climate obligations back years.
The Governor’s push follows a series of contradictory and misleading excuses for why she is seeking to renege on New York’s climate commitments, all while trying to portray herself as a climate champion. In recent weeks, she has pointed to a memo from her own administration that suggested enacting the CLCPA will lead to higher energy bills — a claim that lawmakers in her own party have rejected. She has separately suggested that New Yorkers are overpaying for energy because of the CLCPA and that amending the law will save New Yorkers money in the short-term, which she later admitted was “false.” She even cited the Trump administration’s attack on Iran as an excuse to roll back the CLCPA, claiming it would somehow “protect consumers” who are already suffering from high energy bills.
Thankfully, lawmakers — including leaders in her own party — are refusing to take the bait. Earlier this month, over 30 state lawmakers rallied at the Capitol to demand the Legislature protect our Climate Law and urge the Governor to implement clean energy and energy efficiency solutions that actually lower New Yorkers’ energy bills. In March, more than two-thirds of Senate Democrats signed a letter pushing back on Hochul’s claims and urging her not to “abandon our commitment to climate progress.”
Despite Hochul’s posturing, delaying climate action will do nothing to lower New Yorkers’ energy bills because it won’t reduce the state’s reliance on costly and volatile methane gas — the true driver of higher energy bills. Gas prices were already at an all-time high before the war in Iran caused them to skyrocket further, and 1 in 4 New Yorkers already cannot afford their energy bills. Weakening the law will only enable utilities to continue profiting from expensive, imported fossil fuels for longer, while New Yorkers continue to struggle with skyrocketing utility bills.
Protecting our Climate Law is New York’s best bet to transition to a fairer, cleaner energy system that is efficient and affordable. Implementing the Climate Law will lower energy bills and create tens of thousands of jobs. Meanwhile, doing nothing and relying on our current fossil fuel status quo will cost New Yorkers more than $115 billion, according to the State’s own data.
Other countries have already figured this out. In response to rising gas prices, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Pakistan have invested more into renewables to lower costs and achieve energy independence. Even red states are following suit: Texas got nearly 40% of its power from wind and solar in 2025 because of cost-effectiveness, while New York has just recently reached around 10% from renewables.
© Erik McGregor – erikrivas@hotmail.com – 917-225-8963