Beyond fears of large-scale accidents\u2014which are rare<\/a>\u2014nuclear power plants are costly to build and take a long time to come online. New York hasn\u2019t built a new plant in decades.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether or not her nuclear push is successful will depend on who pays for it and whether or not it will exacerbate the electricity affordability problem,\u201d said Anshul Gupta, policy and research director at New Yorkers for Clean Power.<\/p>\n In her address, Hochul also announced that she would propose legislation to lower New York\u2019s electricity rates<\/a>, which are some of the highest in the country<\/a>, to protect New Yorkers \u201cfrom being blindsided by exorbitant rate hikes.\u201d<\/p>\n Climate advocates believe the electricity rates\u2014which Con Edison, a New York City-based utility, has recently proposed<\/a> to raise\u2014could be lowered by further expanding the state\u2019s clean energy portfolio. The state faces the risk of electricity grid reliability issues<\/a> over the next few years if capacity is not increased, driven in part by the proposed construction of power-hungry data centers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Notably absent from Hochul\u2019s speech was any reference to the state\u2019s Climate Act<\/a>\u2014landmark legislation that requires the state to achieve a 40 percent reduction from 1990 levels in economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and an 85 percent reduction by 2050.\u00a0<\/p>\n During last year\u2019s State of the State address, she announced plans to invest $1 billion<\/a> in the Sustainable Future Program to support the state\u2019s clean energy transition. She made no promises to reinvest in the fund this year, worrying some climate advocates.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hocul has also refused to fully implement the cap-and-invest program<\/a>, a feature of the state\u2019s Climate Act, which would require polluters to buy \u201callowances\u201d for their greenhouse gas emissions.\u00a0<\/p>\n The money from those sales would go toward energy bill rebates and reinvestment in emissions-reduction initiatives, such as building electrification. Many climate advocates view this influx of funds as central to the state\u2019s move away from fossil fuels.\u00a0<\/p>\n After a judge determined that the state violated its own law<\/a> by delaying implementation of the program\u2019s regulations, the state\u2019s Department of Environmental Conservation finalized<\/a> the emissions tracking program in December.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a little disappointed that in 2026 the state is not making sufficient progress towards achieving the goals of the state\u2019s climate law and decarbonizing the economy,\u201d Gupta said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The state\u2019s Climate Act requires that 70 percent of the state\u2019s electricity come from renewable sources by 2030\u2014though the governor and the state\u2019s energy planning arm, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority<\/a>, have both acknowledged<\/a> that New York is unlikely to meet that goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Conditions have changed considerably since the Climate Act was signed into law in 2019. Amid market shifts, inflation, the state\u2019s regulatory landscape and the Trump administration\u2019s opposition to offshore wind<\/a>, it has become increasingly challenging to secure approval for renewable energy projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n The state attorney general recently sued<\/a> the Trump administration for suspending work at two New York offshore wind projects in December.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a really difficult time for the offshore wind industry and Governor Hochul has been one of our fiercest allies,\u201d said Alicia Gen\u00e9 Artessa, director of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance.<\/p>\n In her speech, the governor, who is up for re-election this year, placed herself at odds with President Donald Trump on another issue. She pledged to fight the Trump administration\u2019s attacks on New York City\u2019s congestion pricing, which charges a fee to drivers entering lower Manhattan.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although the policy has been shown to reduce traffic<\/a> gridlock and even improve air quality<\/a> in some neighborhoods, Trump has criticized it as recently as this week<\/a>. Last year, he attempted to revoke federal approval for congestion pricing, though a judge blocked<\/a> his efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they tried to kill congestion pricing, we beat them in court again and again,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cBut my message to the wannabe king remains the same: We will not bow.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tAbout This Story<\/p>\n Perhaps you noticed: This story, like all the news we publish, is free to read. That\u2019s because Inside Climate News is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We do not charge a subscription fee, lock our news behind a paywall, or clutter our website with ads. We make our news on climate and the environment freely available to you and anyone who wants it.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not all. We also share our news for free with scores of other media organizations around the country. Many of them can\u2019t afford to do environmental journalism of their own. We\u2019ve built bureaus from coast to coast to report local stories, collaborate with local newsrooms and co-publish articles so that this vital work is shared as widely as possible.<\/p>\n Two of us launched ICN in 2007. Six years later we earned a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, and now we run the oldest and largest dedicated climate newsroom in the nation. We tell the story in all its complexity. We hold polluters accountable. We expose environmental injustice. We debunk misinformation. We scrutinize solutions and inspire action.<\/p>\n Donations from readers like you fund every aspect of what we do. If you don\u2019t already, will you support our ongoing work, our reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet, and help us reach even more readers in more places? <\/p>\n Please take a moment to make a tax-deductible donation. Every one of them makes a difference.<\/p>\n Thank you,<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/indian-point_mario-tama-getty-1024x650.jpg\"\/)
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The shuttered Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, N.Y. Credit: Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Lauren-Dalban-300x300.jpg\"\/)
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