Earlier this week, a coalition of environmental advocates called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to include a bill in her executive budget that would repeal 20% of the almost $2 billion in taxpayer subsidies provided to the oil industry by the state of New York.
It’s one example of how the governor is being pressured by clean energy and environmental advocates to remain committed to the goals of the state’s aggressive climate law passed in 2019.
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) mandates significant greenhouse gas emission reductions of 40% by 2030.
Environmentalists have criticized the Hochul administration over issues including the approval of the NESE pipeline, a possible pause in the electric buildings mandate and a delay of Cap & Invest regulations.
The governor has argued that she needs to “govern in reality” because the Trump administration is anti-wind, and New York faces an energy reliability shortage in five years, according to the New York Independent System Operator. She has pointed to these shifting circumstances to support her argument that the state needs to adopt an “all of the above” energy policy.
The oil subsidy bill, referred to as the “Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act,” is sponsored by state Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon (S3606A Krueger/A3675A Simon).
Award-winning environmentalist Bill McKibben, co-founder of Third Act, and the author of over 20 books including “The End of Nature” and “Here Comes the Sun,” is a supporter of the bill.
He discussed it and the pressure on Gov. Hochul to meet the state’s statutory climate goals with Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter.