Governor Hochul,
Invest in Reducing Energy Use and Lowering Bills!

On October 7, 2026, 142 organizations from across New York sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to address New York’s growing energy affordability crisis with investments that help New Yorkers reduce energy use and limit wasteful utility spending.

The letter specifically calls on the Governor to:

• • Invest now in lowering bills by reducing energy use. There are hundreds of millions of dollars allocated but unspent for programs that directly and sustainably reduce energy bills for our most vulnerable residents. We ask that you move the EmPower+, Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), and Green Affordable Pre-Electrification (GAP) funding from the enacted budget into our communities without delay. 
  
  
  • Commit new funds for the Sustainable Future Program next year. We request an appropriation to the Sustainable Future Program in next year’s budget of more than $3 billion, with at least $1 billion for buildings, until the full implementation of the Clean Air Initiative is achieved.
  
  
  • Amend the utility obligation to serve gas. Include in your executive budget proposal an amendment to the Public Service Law to update the utilities’ obligation to serve gas to an obligation to serve heat to enable utilities to offer the most cost-effective solutions and avoid saddling energy customers with hundreds of billions of dollars in stranded assets.
  
  
  • Assist households on expensive heating fuels. Reduce the energy costs for the more than 2 million homes relying on delivered fuels or electric resistance for heating by helping them install ground source and air source heat pumps, including a program to target LIPA customers, and direct the New York Green Bank to provide no- or low-cost financing for such conversions to further increase savings.
  
  
  • Reform unfair rates. Direct the Public Service Commission to institute rate reform to address the problem of overpayment of delivery costs by electric heating customers, which is not only a significant barrier to home electrification, but is also an equity and energy affordability issue.