In the Village of Watkins Glen, families lost power during extreme cold because of what officials described as an overload driven by increased energy demand. The fire department opened as a warming station. Firefighters went door to door to check on residents. The mayor offered rides to people in need. 

That is what community looks like. 

It is also a warning. 

When a local grid cannot withstand a cold snap, we must question whether state energy policies are aligned with reliability. 

Weeks earlier, in Erie County’s Lake Shore Central School District, parents reported that drivers of new electric school buses were lowering or shutting off heat to conserve battery life due to the freezing temperatures. The electric buses were purchased to meet a NYS mandate.  

According to reporting by the Democrat and Chronicle, families and seniors across our state are struggling with rising utility bills. Nearly 67,000 RG&E households were behind on payments by the end of 2025, owing more than $92 million. Statewide, more than 400,000 households had utility services shut off last year. Proposed utility rate increases could add more than $600 annually to the average household’s bill and push tens of thousands more families into energy poverty. 

These trends did not happen overnight. 

Since passage of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, electricity rates have climbed sharply. Environmental goals do matter. But mandates without realistic timelines, adequate infrastructure, or transparent cost analysis strain households, small businesses, schools, and local governments — and put lives at risk. 

New Yorkers are paying more and getting less certainty. 

State leaders should stop blaming others for challenges rooted in years of poor, state-level decision making. Take responsibility. Move forward and deliver meaningful improvements for New Yorkers. 

The Senate Republican Conference has advanced a legislative package to reduce costs, increase transparency, strengthen oversight of rate-setting, and reform mandates that are driving up bills and jeopardizing the availability of needed energy. These proposals would restore balance between environmental progress, affordability, and grid stability. 

When local grids cannot withstand a cold snap, when school bus drivers are forced to turn off the heat in freezing temperatures, and people are choosing between heat and other basic necessities, the imbalance is clear. 

New Yorkers deserve an energy system backed by policies that work in extreme weather and keep costs manageable. It is time to enact reforms that improve reliability and reduce costs before more families, seniors, and local businesses are pushed to the breaking point.