The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
October 7, 2026
Dear Governor Hochul,
We the undersigned 142 organizations represent hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who are increasingly burdened by the rising cost of energy and the impacts of the climate crisis. We write as a broad coalition of advocates, businesses, community groups, and practitioners working year-round with state agencies, the Legislature, and communities across New York to advance building decarbonization, energy affordability, and a just clean energy transition.
Each year, we come together to ensure that the voices of New Yorkers who will implement, benefit from, and be most affected by the State’s energy policies are heard clearly and collectively.
Last year, we asked you to address energy affordability and building decarbonization by signing the repeal of the 100-foot rule, putting at least $1 billion into the Sustainable Future Program for building decarbonization and pre-electrification, restoring full funding to the EmPower+ Program, the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), the Green Affordable Pre-Electrification (GAP) Fund, and NY-Sun; and you responded. Thank you.
You’ve signaled that delivering cleaner air, good jobs, and meaningful energy-bill savings is a top priority for your Administration. The opportunity now is to make New York’s investment felt where it matters most: in people’s homes, communities, and paychecks.
In the coming months, we ask that you take the following urgent actions to continue the state’s progress:
- 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.
As we face an increasingly uncertain future with rising fossil fuel prices due to the war in the Middle East, you have the opportunity to ensure that New York’s energy investments are drivers of economic stability, safety, and health, and that these investments reach the people who need them most. We look forward to working with you over the next year to address the rising cost of energy and the climate crisis by advancing solutions that reduce energy bills while supporting a cleaner and healthier environment.
Signed,
Adirondack Voters for Change
ALIGN
Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE)
Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY)
Alliance for Nuclear Free NY
Association for Energy Affordability
Big Reuse
Brightcore Energy
Buffalo Geothermal LLC
Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC)
Building Performance Contractors Association of NYS
Campaign for a Nuclear Free North Country
Campaign for Renewable Energy
Catskill Mountainkeeper
Cayuga Climate Action
CCoHope Indivisible Environment Committee
Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY)
Church Women United in New York State
Citizen Action of New York
Climate and Environmental Justice Alliance
Climate Crisis Working Group (IMV)
Climate Families NYC
Climate Forward 585
Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region
CNY Solidarity Coalition
Coalition Against the Rockaway Pipeline
Color Brighton Green
Color Henrietta Green
Color Penfield Green
Color Pittsford Green
Communities For Local Power
Community Advocates for a Sustainable Environment (CASE)
Concerned Health Professionals of New York
Court Nativity of Our Lady #931 CDA
Dayenu
Divest NY
Dryden Solutions
Earthjustice
EarthKind Energy Consulting
Environmental Advocates NY
Environmental Defense Fund
Finger Lakes Community Action
Food & Water Watch
For the Many
Fossil Free Tompkins
Frack Action
FrackBustersNY
Fridays for Future New York City
Green Choices Consulting
Green Co-op Council
GreenFaith
GreeningUSA
HabitatMap
Halco Home Solutions
HANAC, Inc
Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition
Jewish Climate Action Network NYC
KC3
Keep Indian Point Shut Down
LaMorte Electric Heating and Cooling
LES Ecology Center
Long Island Progressive Coalition
Metro Justice
Mothers Out Front NY
Mothers Out Front – Dutchess County
Mothers Out Front – Hudson Highlands
Mothers Out Front – Northern Westchester
Mothers Out Front – Westchester Rivertowns
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON)
Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow (NEST)
New York Climate Action Group
New York Energy Democracy Alliance
New York Geothermal Energy Organization (NY-GEO)
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV)
New York Progressive Action Network
NYPAN Environmental Committee
NYPAN of the Southern Finger Lakes
New York State Weatherization Directors Association
New Yorkers for Clean Power (NYCP)
New Yorkers for Cool Refrigerant Management
Newburgh Clean Water Project
NY Renews
NYPIRG
Our Bronx (formerly Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition)
Pace Energy and Climate Center
PEACE, Inc.
People for a Healthy Environment
Physicians for Social Responsibility – New York
Pratt Center for Community Development
PUSH Buffalo
RAFT (Residents Allied for the Future of Tioga)
Regional Economic Community Action Program
Regional Plan Association
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism- NY (RAC-NY)
Renewable Energy Long Island
Renewable Heat Now
Rewiring America
Right to Counsel NYC Coalition
Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith
Rochester Area Interfaith Climate Action (RAICA)
Sane Energy Project
Save the People
Seneca Lake Guardian
Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy (SHARE)
Sierra Club
Solar One
South Asian Fund For Education and Training, Inc
Stoneleigh Housing, Inc
Stop NY Fracked Gas Pipeline
Stop the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion (SAPE)
Students for Climate Action
SUNY New Paltz Environmental Task Force
Sustainable Finger Lakes
Sustainable Putnam
Sustainable Warwick
Sustainable Westchester
Syracuse Cultural Workers
Syracuse Peace Council
The Climate Reality Project: NYS Chapters Coalition
The Community Preservation Corporation
Third Act NYC
Third Act Upstate NY
TIAA-Divest!
Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative
TREEage
United for Action
United For Clean Energy
Urban Green Council
Urban Jobs Task Force of Syracuse, Inc.
Urbecon
Utility Customers Association
UU Congregation of Binghamton, Green Sanctuary
Veterans for Climate Justice
WE ACT for Environmental Justice
WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
Westchester for Change
Western New York Drilling Defense
Western New York Environmental Alliance
350Brooklyn
350NYC