Griffo questions governor forcing her will on New Yorkers and the automobile industry

New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-I-C-Rome, released the following statement today following reports that Gov. Kathy Hochul is requiring through mandate that all new vehicles sold in New York be zero emissions by 2035: 

“The governor’s mandate that New York will require all new vehicles sold in the state to be zero emissions by 2035 is preposterous.  

While I recognize and am willing to consider renewable and clean energy opportunities, forcing consumers and the auto industry, which is already examining and moving towards alternative vehicle options, to accept this edict without providing them with the opportunity to decide for themselves is wrong.  

As the former chairman of the Senate’s Energy Committee, I always urged that our state should have a diversified energy portfolio and that we should not put all of our eggs into one basket for the sake of politics. We have seen what happens when this is not considered. If we are following California’s lead, as the governor wants to do, we must remain mindful of the mistakes that have been made in that state, which prohibited residents from charging their electric vehicles when its electrical grid was compromised by capacity. California’s decision to become more reliant on green energy sources potentially put people at risk. The same could happen here in New York. 

To take unilateral action  - as opposed to universal action  - is outrageous. Whatever happened to common sense and pragmatic approaches to solving problems? New Yorkers should take this latest flawed decision made by the governor into consideration when deciding who should be leading our state going forward.” 

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