NY Renews and Allied Legislators Urge Gov. Hochul to Advance and Defend Climate Law at Events Statewide
For Immediate Release: April 2, 2026
Contact: Marie Scarles, marie@nyrenews.org, (646) 389-8429
Web: www.nyrenews.org | Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky | Facebook
At press conferences and rallies on Long Island and in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany, New Yorkers called for cleaner air, lower bills, good jobs, and justice for communities at the frontlines of the climate crisis
New York State — Throughout March, in cities across New York State, NY Renews coalition organizations have organized and led press conferences and rallies in partnership with elected officials around a single rallying cry: Defend New York’s climate law.
Governor Hochul’s move to commandeer the state budget process to force legislators to bend to her will and roll back key protections in New York’s flagship climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), while spreading misinformation about the costs the law would have on consumer energy prices, is a move right out of the Trump playbook.
Organizers and allied electeds who spoke at the events statewide called on lawmakers and colleagues to hold firm against allowing any changes to the CLCPA in the budget being negotiated throughout March and April.
Albany
On March 4th in Albany, elected officials, climate, and community groups joined with elected officials to criticize the Hochul Administration’s apparent effort to jam into budget negotiations a plan to undermine the state’s landmark seven-year-old climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Legislators who spoke included Assemblymembers Levenberg, Otis, Shrestha, Gallagher, Moreno, Shimsky, Simon, Steck, Kelles, Valdez, and Solages.
The groups argued that the consequences are too great for the Hochul Administration’s proposal to be jammed into last minute budget negotiations. Instead, if the governor truly wants to address the energy affordability crisis New Yorkers are facing right now, she would address the buildout of gas infrastructure in our state. The Governor’s focus on rolling back the Climate Law is a red herring that will do nothing to help lower energy bills now.
"I'm enraged, but not surprised, to learn that the Governor is trying to include CLCPA rollbacks in the FY27 budget. It is totally disingenuous to present energy transition as at odds with affordability. Gas prices are rising and will continue to do so because of the need to replace antiquated, leak-prone infrastructure, as well as geopolitical instability caused by warmongers and wanna-be oil tycoons. We can take control of our energy destiny, deliver tens of thousands of union jobs, and lower utility bills by fully implementing laws like the Build Public Renewables Act, the All Electric Buildings Act, and NY HEAT. The future of our state depends on it," said Assemblymember Emily Gallagher.
"It is sad to see the Governor misleading the public on an issue so critical as energy prices. The main reasons for rising energy prices have nothing to do with environmental regulation. Energy prices are rising due to increasing costs of fossil fuels, especially natural gas, which our State imports, and the fact the State continues to finance rehabilitation and upgrading of the power grid on the backs of ratepayers. The power grid is 100 years old and needs modernization even in the absence of green energy. The State needs to invest directly in the power grid so that the ratepayers (us) do not absorb these costs. Once that is done, ultimately the cost of green energy will be far less than fossil fuels. We don’t have to pay to import wind and sun like we do with natural gas. Nuclear is also a budget buster. We already subsidize our three nuclear power plants in the billions of dollars. This money is better spent financing the alternatives,” said Assemblymember Phil Steck.
Buffalo
In Buffalo on March 6th, organizers called on the Buffalo-born-and-raised Governor to protect Western New York communities from threats of climate law rollbacks and are leading the way toward building a sustainable, just future.
“For generations, families on the East Side [of Buffalo] have dealt with the consequences of industrial pollution, aging, housing, environmental neglect, higher asthma rates, higher rates of lead poisoning, contaminated soil and neighborhoods built in the shadow of former factories and highways. Our communities have carried the burden of pollution for far too long,” said Franchelle Parker, executive director at Open Buffalo. “The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act represents a promise that we will not sacrifice the health of our communities for short-term political debates or fossil fuel interests.”
Syracuse
On March 7th in Syracuse, organizers led a rally with legislators after the Hochul Administration unveiled a four-page memo alleging that implementing the Climate Law would add thousands of dollars to New Yorkers’ energy bills. The calculations in the memo were not explained, do not align with the implementation plans the Governor’s own agencies issued in 2022, and vastly overstate the costs of the law for New Yorkers.
“Falling behind on CLCPA goals shouldn’t be the reason to step back and abandon the law, but rather, to step up and take bolder action. It’s no secret that New Yorkers are burdened with high utility bills and soaring energy costs, but reversing CLCPA initiatives won’t solve the energy affordability crisis. The costly and unpredictable nature of fossil fuels, as well as the price tag it takes to maintain the infrastructure that delivers them, hurts New Yorkers’ wallets more than forward-thinking climate laws. Delaying this essential transformation to greener energy and staying overly dependent on fossil fuels achieves nothing, except to hurt New Yorkers in the long run,” said Assemblymember Al Stirpe.
“I remain committed to defending and fully implementing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act because our future depends on it," said Senator Lea Webb. "This landmark law protects public health and ensures frontline communities are not left behind. We cannot afford to delay action on the climate crisis, and I will continue fighting to keep New York a national leader in building a cleaner, more just future.”
"As New Yorkers get crushed by energy bills thanks to spiking fossil fuel prices, Governor Hochul’s work to double down on gas generation makes a mockery of her supposed focus on ‘affordability,’” said Vanessa Fajans-Turner, Executive Director, Environmental Advocates NY. “Our climate law was carefully crafted to cut pollution while cutting costs, and lawmakers must insist the Governor do what the law requires, let good policy do its job, and save New Yorkers money.”
Long Island
On Long Island on March 20th, dozens of advocates and concerned residents rallied at the Executive Building in Mineola. They pointed out that Hochul’s recent track record on climate and energy issues includes approving costly, polluting fracked-gas pipelines, fumbling efforts to build renewable power, and failing to implement clean energy laws.
“Governor Hochul, by demanding rollbacks to the CLCPA, you are playing politics with our future,” said Joe Sackman, Executive Director of Long Island Progressive Coalition. “Manipulating the data to say we don’t need to act now is simply a lie. Governor Hochul, the CLCPA is the law, and you are not above the law. Just because your big donors and the Trump regime are willing to throw our future away, we are not. It’s time to do what is right. No rollbacks on New York’s climate law. Don’t play politics with our lives. Follow the law, fund the CLCPA, invest in a just renewable economy.”
Rochester
On March 27th in Rochester, organizers and Assembly Labor Chair Harry Bronson pushed back against Hochul’s push to delay NY’s clean energy goals.
“Utility bills are continuing to skyrocket, harming both our families and our businesses, and we as a state must address this affordability crisis. An effective way to do so requires actually addressing the cause of this issue, which is not the CLCPA,” said Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson. “I am standing with advocates to ensure our State continues to be a nationwide leader in ending our reliance on costly, harmful fossil fuels. By moving forward with the CLCPA we will lower costs for families and businesses, reduce our dependence on foreign energy resources, and ensure a prosperous economy with good green energy jobs that also support New York’s overall health and safety.”
And, as Climate Solutions Accelerator organizer Graham Hughes noted, “New York does face an affordability crisis, particularly when it comes to energy bills, and we agree with the Governor that something needs to be done about it, but delaying the CLCPA will have the opposite effect. Accelerating our state’s transition to a clean energy economy is the best path forward for lowering our energy bills, creating energy independence, and building a New York that works for all its people.”
NYC
In New York City on March 30th, parents, grandparents, caregivers protested the Governor’s proposed climate rollbacks outside of her Manhattan office with a 50-foot fire banner and blocked traffic.
Parents unfurled a 50-foot banner reading “Hochul, Don’t Torch Our Kids’ Future!” surrounded by flames and used it to block Third Avenue near her office.
“There is no such thing as caring for one another if we do not care for the earth. Our children’s future is entwined with that of our beautiful planet. As parents and caregivers, we know this. Governor Hochul needs to wake up to the reality that our children need clean air, water and a stable climate to thrive, and that we can’t afford her climate delays.” Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh, parent and organizer with Climate Families Westchester.
"I'm here today because I'm angry. Gov. Hochul is taking us back in time, attempting to undo a law that was itself only the start of the action we need to be taking. She is trying to cover up her own mismanagement of the climate law's implementation by moving the goalposts. I'm a professor, and if a student comes to me and says, 'I didn't prepare for the exam, can I have more time to take it, and can you also make it easier?' the answer is an obvious no. And that should be the legislature's answer to Gov Hochul,” said Grace Lindsay, Climate Families NYC member, professor, and parent of two.
“Governor Hochul claims her proposed CLCPA rollbacks are about affordability, but she is lying. The law hasn’t been implemented, gas prices are skyrocketing, and renewables are cheaper and more reliable than fossil fuels,” said Liat Olenick, parent and organizer with Climate Families NYC. “If the Governor were serious about fighting for families and affordability, she would implement cap-and-invest, which would actually save families money, champion legislation to unleash affordable solar, and support a moratorium on construction of costly, polluting A.I. data centers. The truth is that by taking aim at the state climate law, Governor Hochul is risking our children’s futures not for families like mine, but for her own political interests and donors.”
“Families are tired of Hochul’s false promises and empty rhetoric and know that climate action goes hand in hand with affordability,” said Karen Narefsky, NYC-DSA Universal Childcare Working Group. “If the Governor and legislature want to show their commitment to working families, they can start by taxing the rich to fund universal childcare and implementing the CLCPA to fund a transition off expensive, polluting fossil fuels to a future powered by cheap, clean, renewable energy. ”
More Information
NY Renews coalition members will continue to organize throughout April as the final budget negotiations proceed. Defending the climate law is paramount to securing a just future for New Yorkers, particularly Black, brown, and low-income communities across the state.
A recent NY Renews memo detailing the cost of climate delays reveals that New Yorkers will lose between $5-18 billion in energy bill credits or rebates, amounting to more than $8,530 per household making under $200,000 a year; 30,000 jobs each year, or a total of 150,000 lost jobs; close to 5,000 New Yorkers will die prematurely, 50% of whom live in frontline communities; more than 4,000 asthma hospitalizations; and between $15 and 60 billion dollars of revenue that would have been invested in communities statewide for things like green, affordable housing (weatherization, insulation, home improvement), rooftop solar, electric buses, thermal energy networks, community energy planning, community solar, and infrastructure and resiliency projects. Between $5-21 billion of those losses would have been earmarked for disadvantaged communities across the state.
##
NY Renews is a coalition of nearly 400 climate, labor, youth, and community groups, and the force behind the nation’s most powerful climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. We fight for clean energy, good jobs, and a healthier, more affordable New York.