The path that New York’s leadership is charting towards ending the use of gas stoves, furnaces, and other appliances is increasingly worrying for residents who value energy reliability and the freedom to choose. Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget clearly signals a move towards enforcing a greener, yet arguably rushed and underprepared, energy transition rooted in the Democratic climate agenda.
Most New Yorkers have gas stoves in their kitchens, use gas heating to warm their homes, and rely on gas-powered hot water heaters. Such widespread use of gas-powered appliances is at odds with Governor Hochul’s budget proposal for 2025, which aims to redirect the state’s energy usage away from natural gas.
Last spring, the Democratic leader and her legislative allies passed a mandate disallowing gas stoves and furnaces in newly-built residential structures. This change is set to affect buildings seven stories and below starting in 2026, and taller buildings have until 2029 to adapt. This restriction is just one piece of the puzzle in the state’s meticulous plan to curb natural gas reliance for environmental reasons.
Additionally, the Governor’s latest budget pitch further tightens the state’s noose on gas appliances. It borrows from the “NY HEAT Act,” also known as the “Affordable Gas Transition Act.” While the Governor’s team promotes it as a strategy for just and effective transition planning, there’s significant concern about the actual affordability and practicality of these changes.
Opponents like Fox News suggest that, under the governor’s proposal, New Yorkers won’t be explicitly told to give up gas utilities, but utility companies might be made to nudge customers away from gas. It appears utility companies could be tasked with enticing their customers to cut off their gas services, a strategy that would affect countless residents.
Under Hochul, the requirement that utility companies put in gas hookups for customers near a gas pipeline could vanish. This expectation has traditionally secured access to gas for many New Yorkers, and its removal is part of the broader plan to phase out natural gas in the state.
Environmentalists, like those at Earthjustice, laud the Governor’s proposed budget, seeing it as a big step in realigning gas utility regulations with progressive climate goals. However, Republican state lawmakers, labor unions, and power providers have voiced serious concerns over these hasty shifts from gas energy, citing the state’s electrical grid’s readiness as a primary worry.
Leaders like AFL-CIO’s President Mario Cilento urge reconsideration, stressing the need for sufficient, affordable alternative energy to be available before enacting measures like the NY HEAT Act. Jumping headlong into a green new deal without a proper backup could prove catastrophic for the state’s energy framework and for the pocketbooks of ordinary New Yorkers.
Key Takeaways
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal aims to phase out natural gas appliances as part of the state’s climate change initiative.
- Most New Yorkers currently depend on gas for cooking, heating, and hot water.
- Laws already set to take effect in 2026 and 2029 will stop the installation of gas stoves and furnaces in new buildings.
- The Governor’s proposal encourages utility companies to incentivize customers to abandon gas.
- Climate advocacy groups support this move, but conservative lawmakers, labor unions, and power providers criticize it as premature and potentially dangerous.
- There is a considerable call for a well-prepared and feasible plan for the transition to alternative energy.