New Yorkers Oppose Governor Hochul's Climate Law Rollback

Polling Shows Majority Would Vote for Legislators who Support the Climate Law; Tens of Thousands Weigh In With Legislators; Thousands Of New Yorkers Take to the Streets; Over 100 Local Electeds Speak Out

Albany, NY – As Governor Hochul works to undermine the state’s landmark climate law, thousands are taking to the streets, emailing, calling, and using all the tools at their disposal to tell the legislature in no uncertain terms to defend it. Since the Governor announced her plan to undermine the law in early March:

  • New Yorkers have sent and placed more than 33,350 emails and calls to elected officials;

  • Approximately 3,400 have taken to the streets in rallies and other mobilizations; 

  • More than 100 local elected officials have voiced their opposition in a letter to legislative leaders; 

  • 100 faith leaders sent a letter to Governor Hochul on Earth Day characterizing upholding of the climate law an economic issue, a public health issue, a justice issue, and most of all, a moral issue; 

  • Dozens of scientists from all over the world signed a letter in support of CLCPA’s greenhouse gas accounting methodology; and

  • Polling in five competitive legislative districts shows the depth and breadth of public support for protecting the climate law.


The message of all these New Yorkers has been clear: reject Governor Hochul’s proposals to replace deadlines with aspirations, to change pollution limits to nonbinding goals, and to undercut the state’s ability to transition off of expensive fossil fuels. 


“Across New York, people are speaking urgently and clearly: they expect their leaders to uphold the state’s climate commitments to protect them from volatile fossil fuel prices and polluted air. They do not want them to rubber-stamp a wholesale rollback. Thousands have raised their voices — calling, organizing, and showing up in their communities — because they understand what’s at stake if we backslide on climate,” said Vanessa Fajans-Turner, Environmental Advocates NY’s Executive Director.


This outpouring of support for strong climate action tracks with the results of recent polling by Public Policy Polling and Environmental Defense Fund in competitive districts which found that 55% of all respondents and 74% of Democrats surveyed expressed that in upcoming elections, they’d be more likely to vote for a state legislator who voted to continue implementing New York’s clean energy laws, while only 28% of those polled are more likely to support a legislator who voted to weaken those laws. A majority of those surveyed support New York State continuing to move aggressively toward clean energy deployment.


“New Yorkers have been crystal clear: we want a livable climate, clean and affordable energy, and a future free of volatile fossil fuels and corporate greed,” said Stephan Edel, Executive Director of NY Renews. “As the climate crisis intensifies, New Yorkers are calling on their elected representatives to stand up, advance our climate law, and make polluters pay for bold public investments in a sustainable future — not take us back into the fossil-fueled past. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“Governor Hochul’s proposals amount to a wholesale rollback of NY’s climate law and abandon the state’s leadership and climate ambition. With these, NY would fall behind at least eight other states with stronger and faster mandatory emissions reduction targets and would slow down the international momentum towards recognizing the acute threat to our climate posed by methane,” said Anshul Gupta, Policy & Research Director for New Yorkers for Clean Power. “The legislature must stay strong and reject the Governor’s proposals.”

“The Legislature should not be strong-armed into abandoning our climate commitments, while oil and gas companies reap windfall profits off of struggling New Yorkers,” said Roger Downs, Conservation Director, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter.  “Recommitting to our nation leading climate law and programs like ‘Cap and Invest’ will alleviate our overdependence on costly fossil fuels and facilitate a new era of affordability through renewable energy development, clean heat technologies, and electrified transportation.” 

Renee Vogelsang, NY Director of Frack Action, said, “Renewable energy is clean and affordable today and will remain so tomorrow, without the pollution, health impacts, and price volatility of dirty fossil fuels. New Yorkers overwhelmingly want more clean energy and climate action. We call on Governor Hochul and all of our legislative leaders to focus on implementing the climate law by deploying renewable energy and efficiency measures, not making tired excuses and giving in to the fossil fuel industry.”

“Governor Hochul is using a manufactured crisis to dismantle the very law that would lower families’ energy bills, and save thousands of lives.  But tens of thousands of New Yorkers have been loud and clear: Implement the law, don’t gut it,” said Eric Walker, Senior Policy Manager for Energy Justice at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “If the Legislature is to carry out the will of the people, now is the time to unequivocally rebuke the Governor’s proposal and stay the course – not bail out a governor hellbent on undermining the law.” 

“Our members across the Hudson Valley are wincing every time they have to fill up their tanks because of Trump’s illegal war in Iran. Now, instead of accelerating our independence from volatile price spikes caused by fossil fuels, the Governor is trying to delay action to lower bills and climate emissions by strong-arming the legislature behind closed doors, said Xaver Kandler, Political Director at For the Many. “New Yorkers need a leader who fights against Trump instead of someone selling out to the same oil and gas companies by trying to cut our landmark climate law.”

“The exhaustive Yale Climate Opinion Survey demonstrates that 77% of New Yorkers understand the climate crisis” said Tim Guinee, Legislative Director for the NY Climate Reality Chapter’s Coalition. “Governor Hochul claims to be among these, but while rolling back our nation-leading climate law which New Yorkers are rightly proud of, she has offered no alternative vision of how to address the crisis. Without enforcement mechanisms, she will turn the law into a suggestion, and shackle hard-working New Yorkers to volatile fossil-fuel prices and the growing expenses of an ever-degrading climatological catastrophe.”

“New Yorkers have spoken out because the future they want is clear,” said Kate Courtin, Environmental Defense Fund. “While politicians dither, we continue to suffer the costs of inaction – rising power bills, higher insurance premiums, and crushing healthcare costs. Giving a free pass to polluters won’t ease New Yorkers' energy bills. Instead, it’s a recipe for more pollution, poorer health outcomes, prolonged dependence on increasingly expensive fossil fuels. The choice for decisionmakers could not be clearer.”

“Every time a family has to choose between groceries and a heating bill, that’s the real cost of our fossil fuel dependency. Governor Hochul’s rollback doesn’t protect New Yorkers from that, it locks it in. Clean energy is how we break that cycle for good. We are calling on the legislature to listen to the people of New York and defend against proposals to roll back our clean energy law,” said Jessica Azulay, Executive Director of Alliance for a Green Economy. 

“Governor Kathy Hochul is abdicating her responsibility to lead in a crisis,” said Kim Fraczek, Director of Sane Energy Project. “Instead of rising to meet the moment, she is proposing to delay and dilute the landmark climate law that people fought hard to pass – and shift the burden onto those very New Yorkers. That’s not leadership, it is a political choice to protect the fossil fuel status quo and walk away from 21st century law.”

“New Yorkers are speaking up because we’re tired of backroom negotiations deciding our future for us. There are no shortcuts to a green, healthy New York. The only path forward is to protect our Climate Law, make polluters pay for the destruction they’ve caused, and invest in our communities and the family-sustaining jobs that will transition us off of fossil fuels for good,” said Jenille Scott, ALIGN Climate Director.

“The people have spoken. The Governor’s failure to rise to the challenge of the climate law has already cost our communities, not just in greenhouse gas reductions, but more importantly, cuts in the co-pollutants that have a direct impact on our health and well being. The legislature needs to stand strong to maintain New York’s role as a leader on climate justice, with impacts on environmental justice communities remaining front and center,” said Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.

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NY Renews