State Senator Tom O’Mara and his Republican colleagues are urging Governor Kathy Hochul and the Democrat-led Legislature to remove the controversial New York HEAT Act from ongoing state budget negotiations. Speaking in Albany on Tuesday, O’Mara and other opponents warned that the proposal would drive up utility costs, limit consumer choice, and further burden middle-class New Yorkers.
“The New York HEAT Act is a disaster in the making for the great majority of middle-class ratepayers,” said O’Mara, a member of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee. “New York is already one of the least affordable and highest-taxed states in America. The HEAT Act will only make it worse.”
The bill, also known as S.2016, aims to accelerate the state’s transition away from natural gas in favor of renewable energy. Supporters argue that the law would help New York meet its ambitious climate goals by capping utility costs for low-income residents and phasing out natural gas hookups. However, critics say the measure would force homeowners to pay thousands of dollars to convert their heating systems, eliminate energy choices, and put thousands of utility workers out of jobs.
Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt called the act “a direct attack on affordable energy and consumer choice,” arguing that state Democrats are trying to impose costly mandates without considering their long-term impact. “One-size-fits-all mandates just don’t work,” Ortt said.
Since the passage of the 2019 Community Leadership and Climate Protection Act (CLCPA), Senate and Assembly Republicans have repeatedly called for a full cost-benefit analysis of the state’s energy policies. They point to an Empire Center for Public Policy report showing that utility rates have already increased by nearly 10 percent under CLCPA mandates. According to Republican lawmakers, the HEAT Act would only add to these costs, raising rates for 75 percent of New Yorkers while benefiting just a small portion of residents.
A major point of contention is the bill’s proposed elimination of the “100-foot rule,” which currently requires utilities to provide free gas hookups to new customers within 100 feet of an existing line. Opponents argue that scrapping this requirement would significantly increase construction costs and make homeownership even more expensive.
With budget talks ongoing, Republican lawmakers and business groups are ramping up pressure on Hochul and legislative leaders to drop the proposal from this year’s spending plan. They argue that the bill is an example of the state government enacting costly policies without fully considering their consequences.
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