State budget negotiations started in earnest this week.
As they have almost every year, the legislative houses are pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul to raise personal income taxes, something she has repeatedly said she won’t entertain.
Capital Tonight host Susan Arbetter asked state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins why she thinks this year might be different.
“I think the momentum around what we are trying to do, affordability, obviously, is the key. And we are facing unprecedented times. The federal government attacking us in so many ways, taking away resources,” Stewart-Cousins said.
On energy and climate, the leader commented that while the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) memo raises some issues, her legislative house is still looking to move forward on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Neither house mentioned the governor’s push to introduce nuclear power.
“It has not been a broad conversation in our conference,” Stewart-Cousins said of nuclear power. “We haven’t said no. We haven’t said yes. I think anything in that space would certainly take a very very long time.”
Stewart-Cousins made some of her most definitive comments yet about addressing the high cost of utilities within the budget, saying the final spending plan would “absolutely, one way or another” address the high cost of utilities. “We have to,” she said.
“We are pressuring the Public Service Commission to look at rate increases to make sure there is not a lot of miscellaneous and extraordinary fees that are passed on to consumers,” she continued. “We will look at a more consumer-sensitive approach to utilities …and try to pressure our partners in this to look at our consumers first and not worry so much about our shareholders.”