Rep. Claudia Tenney says New Yorkers are paying soaring electricity bills because the state’s climate law is driving up costs and straining the power grid.
Tenney made the claims Thursday in a statement criticizing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, a law passed in 2019 by Albany Democrats.
Tenney argues the law imposed aggressive energy mandates without a realistic plan for cost, reliability, or grid readiness. She claims those policies are now colliding with economic reality and leaving families with higher monthly utility bills.
According to Tenney, New York now has some of the highest electricity prices in the country. She says the state’s average cost per kilowatt-hour far exceeds the national average.
Tenney also points to missed benchmarks under the climate law, including a target for renewable electricity generation that she says the state failed to meet by several years.
She claims the law has forced rapid electrification, restricted dependable power sources, and required costly transmission upgrades that ratepayers are now funding.
Tenney further argues that energy reliability has suffered as a result. She cites warnings from grid operators that New York faces growing risks of power shortages and blackouts, particularly during winter months when demand is expected to rise.
The congresswoman also criticizes past state decisions to shut down nuclear generation, restrict natural gas development, and approve repeated utility rate increases.
Tenney says those actions have pushed New York to import more electricity from other states and Canada, sending energy spending out of state instead of strengthening local production.
She is calling on state leaders to change course and adopt what she describes as a more responsible energy strategy that protects affordability, reliability, and the needs of working families.
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