Republicans in the New York state Senate think they have an answer to residents’ concerns about what they described on Thursday as “skyrocketing utility costs.”
Their proposal: help ratepayers by directing a state agency to return billions of dollars earmarked for a climate investment account.
Senate Republicans, led by Minority Leader Rob Ortt of North Tonawanda, called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to urge the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to dip into what they said is a $2 billion surplus in the agency’s 2025 fiscal year budget to cover credits on ratepayers’ utility bills.
Ortt said the surplus funds, which are projected to reach the $3 billion mark in the coming years, are being set aside to support what he described as Democrats’ “Green New Scam,” a reference to the “Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act” (CLCPA), a piece of legislation authorized in 2019 that includes several climate-related mandates, including one requiring the state to have 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040. Hochul supported the act, as did Democrats controlling the majority in the state legislature.
“It’s time NYSERDA parted with its slush fund and returned that money to ratepayers to give real immediate relief to New Yorkers who desperately need a break,” Ortt said.
Ortt and other Senate Republicans sent a letter to Hochul, arguing there is “no rationale” for not using NYSERDA’s surplus funds to provide utility bill credits for homeowners and business owners whose tax dollars are used to support the agency’s operation. In their letter to the governor, they also argued that the move is “particularly timely” because of the increased supply costs that will result from the current bout of frigid weather.
“Returning these unspent funds would provide short-term assistance but does not resolve the long-term problem of increasing rates. It is, however, an important recognition of the problem and provides immediate cash relief,” the letter reads.