FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2026
Contact: Chris Dobens, 718-679-8542, chris@weact.org
NEW YORK – In response to New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposals for rolling back its signature Climate Law. WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s Energy Justice Senior Policy Manager Eric Walker said the following:
“New Yorkers are living through a real affordability crisis. Governor Hochul claims she’s protecting New Yorkers from high energy bills but her proposal to gut the Climate Act is a misguided affordability play that will do the exact opposite. One in four households are 60 days or more behind on their energy bills, and nearly $2 billion in utility debt is weighing down families across this state. For our communities – the ones already behind on their bills, already living in the most heavily polluted neighborhoods — this is not a nice perk. Holding up the Climate Act is a must.
“We agree with the Governor that protecting New Yorkers from high bills must be a priority. But let’s be clear: the Governor is manufacturing an election-year “climate law crisis” to jam major changes to New York’s climate law into the budget at the last minute and behind closed doors. All this does is distract from the real drivers of energy costs: volatile fossil fuel prices, gold-plated utility infrastructure, and years of inaction.
“Gas is the reason we have high rates of asthma, cancer, and blood-related conditions. The Governor’s proposal keeps us hooked on the fuels that are keeping us under the pressure of skyrocketing bills.
“The legislature must reject backroom Climate Law rollbacks in the budget and continue to fight for the real solutions they’ve put forward that saves people money on their bills – utility bill assistance, investments in energy efficiency, getting more renewables on the grid and the full, timely implementation of the Law. That is how you protect New Yorkers. Rolling back our Climate Law doesn’t protect anyone.”
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan-based, membership-driven organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents are meaningfully included in the development of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram. WE ACT’s legislative priorities are detailed in our 2026 Policy Agenda.