ALBANY N.Y. – Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and members of the Senate Republican Conference today were joined by members of the Assembly Republican Conference at the Capitol for a press conference to highlight an explosive new memo from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) regarding the shockingly high costs of New York’s so-called “green energy” mandates on New Yorkers.  They also called on Democrats to repeal the statute requiring the state to implement a Cap-and-Invest program, a particularly expensive component of Albany’s climate agenda that the state now acknowledges could increase gasoline prices by as much as $2.23 per gallon and raise annual utility bills by up to $4,100 for upstate residents and $2,300 for residents in New York City.

Since Democrats passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) in 2019, Republicans have demanded answers about its cost, expressed concerns about its mandates, and questioned if its goals were realistic or achievable. Last week, it was disclosed that NYSERDA has issued findings that fundamentally agree with much of what Republicans have been saying for the past 7 years – that the Democrat’s Climate Law is unaffordable and failing to meet its own benchmarks.

“For years, we have been warning that the CLCPA’s mandates were detached from economic reality. Now NYSERDA’s own memo confirms it. Gas prices rising by more than $2 per gallon, utility bills increasing by thousands of dollars a year, and small businesses facing hikes of up to 45 percent is not an energy plan. It is a financial burden on working families. Cap-and-Invest must be repealed before it drives costs even higher and makes New York even less affordable,” said Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick

Senate Democrats’ ideological approach to energy issues in this state has caused the highest utility bills New Yorkers have ever seen. Republicans in both the Senate and Assembly are taking action now to provide relief by pushing to scrap the most damaging parts of the CLCPA, especially Cap-and-Invest.

Governor Hochul's New York State Energy Research and Development Authority released a memo outlining “likely costs of CLCPA compliance,” noting that, “the greenhouse gas accounting approach incorporated in statute and regulation, in combination with current emission reduction targets, mean that current law attributes higher emissions to New York than other leading jurisdictions do for the same activity.”

According to NYSERDA Memo, absent changes, within five years:

• Gasoline prices could increase by $2.23 per gallon — on top of whatever market prices are at that time. At today’s prices, that would mean roughly $5.25 per gallon.
• Natural gas costs could increase by $16.96 per MMBtu.
• Upstate households using oil or natural gas could see energy costs increase by more than $4,100 per year.
• New York City households using natural gas could see annual gross costs rise by approximately $2,300 annually.
• Utility costs for small and medium commercial businesses increase by over 45% - these costs would be passed down to consumers.
•  Costs for operating a delivery truck would increase by over 60%.

In addition to the disastrous Cap-and-Invest program, the Senate Republican Conference has unanimously opposed other new energy costs and mandates within the CLCPA that have increased costs and decreased choices being forced under an extreme climate agenda that is unaffordable, unrealistic, and unattainable.