Further investment and enablement to the fossil fuel industry’s reign over the state capital is going to shatter New York’s economy. Renewable energy is finally cheaper than fossil fuels, and that margin will continue to grow as we deplete the nation’s fossil fuel supply at exponential rates. Energy hogs like the AI and crypto industries are draining the world of its most precious energy-producing resources, and the fossil fuel industry is fueling those monsters while claiming energy poverty when it comes to New Yorkers affording their electric bills.
Furthermore, late-breaking news in the state capital highlights moderate upstate democrats urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to delay the implementation of the All-Electric Buildings Act, which mandates that all future buildings constructed in New York state do not have fossil fuel options. Constructing new buildings that rely on fossil fuels for energy production is a short-sighted, quick-profit investment for New York’s most dominant industries, The Real Estate and Fossil Fuel Lobbies.
Additionally, demanding New York build future low-income housing that relies on toxin-emitting fossil fuel combustion is socially unjust and simply unacceptable. Low-income New Yorkers, all New Yorkers, deserve better at a time when the state is facing a public health crisis and an enormous budget deficit.
— Eric Wood
New Paltz
The writer is senior environmental program coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group.