Nassau County Executive and Republican candidate for governor Bruce Blakeman claims Gov. Kathy Hochul’s energy policies are driving up electricity bills across New York.
In a press release issued Feb. 12, Blakeman pointed to comments from Robert E. Curry Jr., a Democrat who previously served on the New York State Public Service Commission and on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee under President Obama.
Blakeman called Curry’s comments a “stunning admission” and said even a member of Hochul’s own party now acknowledges the impact of state energy decisions.
“Even a Democrat is now admitting what hardworking New Yorkers feel every month when they open their utility bills — Hochul’s policies are driving costs through the roof. Electricity bills in Kathy Hochul’s New York are now more than 50 percent higher than the national average. It happened because the Hochul administration approved dozens of utility rate hikes, blocked common-sense energy projects, and forced costly mandates onto ratepayers,” Blakeman said.
According to the release, Curry wrote that New York generates roughly 55 percent of its electricity from natural gas. The state has banned fracking, a policy the release says Hochul has supported.
The release argues that with a constrained gas supply, New York has grown more dependent on natural gas purchased on the open market. It also points to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires utilities to meet zero-emission mandates by specific deadlines.
Blakeman said those mandates require billions of dollars in new infrastructure, renewable energy development, transmission upgrades and regulatory compliance programs. He said utilities pass those costs directly onto ratepayers.
“Nearly 70 percent of a typical utility bill goes to delivery charges, taxes, and Hochul’s mandates rather than the energy itself,” Blakeman said. “The cause and effect is clear: Hochul restricted energy supply, shut down reliable generation, and imposed expensive mandates. Prices went up, and families and small businesses are left footing the bill.”
Blakeman said that if elected governor, he would work to cut electricity bills in half. He said he would reassess what he called unachievable energy mandates, expand domestic energy supply, approve infrastructure projects and conduct oversight hearings on state-imposed energy costs.
“As Governor, I will cut electricity bills in half for New Yorkers — period. Hochul’s reckless energy agenda has punished families and job creators long enough. I will dismantle mandates that drive up energy costs without meaningful environmental gains and put New Yorkers back on an affordable, common-sense energy path.”
Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to the claims in the release.
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