Nassau County Executive and Republican nominee for Governor of New York Bruce Blakeman today pointed to a stunning admission from a prominent Democrat: New York’s skyrocketing electricity bills are being driven by Kathy Hochul’s failed policies.
In a recent article, Robert E. Curry, Jr. — a Democrat who served on the New York State Public Service Commission and on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee under President Obama — laid out what many families already know: Albany’s energy decisions are making life more expensive.
“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.
Curry notes that New York generates roughly 55 percent of its electricity from natural gas, yet the state banned fracking - a ban Kathy Hochul doubled down on. With a constrained gas supply, the state became more dependent on increasingly expensive natural gas purchased on the open market.
At the same time, Curry adds, Hochul championed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires utilities to meet aggressive zero-emission mandates by specific deadlines. Meeting those mandates requires billions of dollars in new infrastructure, renewable development, transmission upgrades, and regulatory compliance programs. Those costs are passed directly onto ratepayers through higher bills.
“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 promised that as governor, he would cut electricity bills in half by reassessing unachievable energy mandates, expanding reliable domestic energy supply, approving critical infrastructure projects, and conducting 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.”