By Lucy Hodgman
Albany Times Union

ALBANY —  New York climate advocates are pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul to make environmental policy a priority as the next legislative session approaches. 

On Thursday, members of the Renewable Heat Now campaign held 10 rallies around the state, calling on lawmakers to include a pair of climate laws — the NY HEAT Act and the Renewable Capitol Act — in the next state budget. The legislation, advocates wrote in a news release, would help “Trump-proof” the state against fossil fuel corporations and utility companies ahead of president-elect Donald J. Trump’s second term in office. 

Assemblyman Phil Steck and Albany County Legislator Merton Simpson spoke alongside advocates during a rally at the state Capitol on Thursday afternoon.

“My district is not a solid Democratic district, unlike many of the other people who are supporters of this legislation,” Steck said. “But we did find that my constituents support addressing climate change. You live your life in upstate New York, you understand that this weather where it doesn’t snow and only rains in December is not normal.” 

The proposed NY HEAT Act — or the New York Home Energy Affordable Transition Act — was excluded from the most recent state budget despite months of demonstrations from supporters. Sponsored by state Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, it was passed as a standalone bill by the Senate and included in their one-house budget proposal. 

Lawmakers have framed the NY HEAT Act as a way to reduce new properties’ reliance on natural gas. It would stop subsidies for the “100-foot rule,” which requires energy companies to hook up properties with a gas line at no cost to a customer if an existing transmission line is within 100 feet. Lawmakers have also touted the bill as a way to lower consumer costs, capping utility bills for low- and middle-income New Yorkers at 6 percent of their income.

“New Yorkers have made their voices loud and clear,” policy advocate Liz Moran said at Thursday’s rally. “They want Gov. Hochul and the Legislature to address the cost of living, and that’s why the NY HEAT Act is the solution that needs to be the top priority for the governor as she approaches her budget.”

Moran said the bill would save New York households, on average $136 a month — which she sees as a more appealing offer than the one-time “inflation refund” that Hochul proposed earlier this week. 

If signed into law, the NY HEAT Act would also give the Public Service Commission the “authority and direction to align gas utility regulation and gas system planning” with the goals from the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. So far, the state has faltered in its effort to meet the 2019 legislation’s ambitious mandates, which include 70 percent renewable electricity sources by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2040. 

Speakers at the rally also pushed for the Renewable Capitol Act, which would require that the Capitol complex convert to renewable energy sources within three years. Currently, a steam-generating plant on Sheridan Avenue in Albany powers the state Capitol and Empire State Plaza. Residents of the Sheridan Hollow neighborhood have long lobbied against the plant, raising concerns about pollution due to the coal, oil and gas burned there to produce high-pressure steam.

This summer, the state Office of General Services and New York Power Authority announced their plan to gradually shift the Empire State Plaza to a thermal energy network during a four-phase plan. Sheridan Hollow advocates, however, would like to see the swift closure of the Sheridan Avenue steam plant, which is expected to remain attached to the power system for “emergency backup purposes.” Simpson, whose district includes Sheridan Hollow, voiced support for the Renewable Capitol Act during Thursday’s rally. 

“We’re urging the governor to link up with the Assembly and the Senate and do the right thing and take the Capitol off fossil fuels,” Simpson said. “You can’t go to the Pope and preach about climate sustainability when we have fracked gas coming into this Capitol every day. That kind of contradiction just can’t stand.”