State lawmakers say New Yorkers are paying some of the highest energy bills in the country — and they want immediate relief.
State Sen. Tom O’Mara, R,C–Big Flats, joined Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt and other GOP senators at the Capitol on Feb. 9 to roll out a sweeping legislative package aimed at cutting energy costs and rolling back state mandates they blame for rising bills.
New York’s residential electricity rates now sit about 50% higher than the national average. Rates rose 7.6% over the past year alone, faster than the national pace. Since the state adopted the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019, electricity rates have jumped 45%, according to Senate Republicans.
Targeting Albany mandates
Republicans say state climate mandates passed under Democratic majorities and two governors have driven those increases.
“Just last week a newspaper article highlighted how more than 400,000 customers have had their gas or power cut because they can’t afford to pay their bills,” Ortt said. “This is completely unacceptable, and a direct result of Albany Democrats’ out-of-touch Green New Deal scam policies.”
O’Mara, who serves on the Senate Energy Committee, said the state rushed ahead without considering costs or feasibility.
“Since the CLCPA’s approval in 2019, we’ve watched Albany Democrats move at record speed to pile one unfunded mandate on top of another,” O’Mara said. “These actions are delivering a heavy price tag that will only get heavier as time goes on for ratepayers.”
He called the current approach unrealistic and warned it risks grid reliability and affordability.
“In the meantime, New Yorkers need relief now,” O’Mara said.
What the package would do
The plan, titled “Affordable Energy, Not Albany Mandates,” forms part of the Senate Republican Conference’s broader “Save New York” 2026 agenda. It focuses on immediate ratepayer relief, transparency, and rolling back what Republicans call costly mandates.
Bills sponsored by O’Mara would:
• Send surplus or unspent NYSERDA Climate Investment Account funds back to ratepayers as bill credits, potentially returning at least $2 billion
• Require monthly reports detailing the cost of state energy mandates under a new Ratepayer Disclosure and Transparency Act
• Delay the state’s all-electric school bus mandate until 2045 or until state agencies convert their own fleets
Other proposals include temporary utility tax and surcharge holidays, repealing fees that fund NYSERDA, requiring fiscal notes on energy-related bills, and creating new oversight bodies to track climate policy costs.
Several bills would fully repeal existing mandates, including requirements for electric vehicles, all-electric buildings, electric school buses, and the state’s cap-and-invest program. One measure would repeal the CLCPA entirely and replace it with a new THRIVE Council focused on affordability, reliability, and economic stability.
Republicans say the package offers a more realistic energy transition that protects consumers, businesses, and local economies.
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