Gov. Kathy Hochul is getting cooked for placing her “Green New Deal” on the back burner.
The New York leader faced attacks from both sides of the aisle this week when her administration revealed it was stalling the implementation of the All-Electric Buildings Act that includes a controversial ban on installing gas stoves in newly built homes.
The law was supposed to start in January for new buildings up to seven stories, and then for all other buildings in 2029, but state lawyers agreed in a court filing to a delay amid an ongoing court fight challenging the law.
Environmentalists slammed Hochul for pushing off much needed green initiatives while Republicans, like GOP candidate for governor, upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik, accused her of cynically slowing the roll-out ahead of her re-election in 2026.
“Kathy Hochul is lying to New Yorkers,” Stefanik bluntly said in a statement.
“She wants them to believe there will not be a gas stove ban and all-electric mandate policies that will absolutely crush New York’s economy and cause a skyrocketing of prices further worsening the affordability crisis.
“This is a cynical political ‘pause’ so she can screw New Yorkers with higher prices after the election.”
The congresswoman, who announced her challenge of the Democrat last week, also brought up how Hochul suspended the implementation of congestion pricing for vehicles entering Manhattan’s business district last year, but reversed course following the 2024 elections.
“Just like congestion pricing, when Hochul lied to voters before the election and then immediately raised taxes on workers and commuters, she thinks New Yorkers are stupid and won’t notice this desperate political ploy,” she said, adding the gas stove ban should be fully repealed.
Environmental Advocates NY also joined in on slamming Hochul.
“Delaying the All Electric Buildings Act will keep us stuck in a fossil fuel past we can’t afford,” said Katherine Nadeau, deputy executive director of policy and programs at the organization.
“We need the governor to fight for clean energy, not drag things out further. Every months we wait holds back New York’s climate progress and puts our future at risk,” added the green energy activist.
Hochul’s office said in a statement it was still committed to enforcing the green mandate while pointing to the ongoing court challenge of the law brought by the construction industry including New York State Builders Association, National Association of Home Builders, New York Propane Gas Association and laborers’ unions.
“The governor remains committed to the all-electric-buildings law and believes this action will help the State defend it, as well as reduce regulatory uncertainty for developers during this period of litigation,” said Ken Lovett, Hochul’s senior communications adviser on energy and the environment.
“Governor Hochul remains resolved to providing more affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for New Yorkers.”
State attorneys said it would not go ahead with the implementation until a federal appellate court delivers a ruling, according to reports.
It’s just the latest step that Hochul has taken to slow-walk green mandates, and even promote carbon-generating fossil fuels, amid voters’ frustration over rising energy and other costs.
Earlier this year, she delayed implementation of a controversial “cap and invest” program that critics warned would send gas and home-heating oil prices soaring.
Hochul last week also greenlit a controversial, President Trump-backed natural-gas pipeline off the Big Apple’s coast – a decision that came after a public push from the White House.
A Democratic pollster said affordability is a more pressing concern with voters than the push for green energy, and Hochul knows it.
“Green energy is on the back burner and bringing prices down is on the front-burner,” said Evan Roth Smith, a campaign consultant and pollster with Slingshot Strategies.
He noted that Hochul could face a tough re-election fight next year and had a “real scare” when she won a closer than expected re-election in 2022.
“Climate change related policies are not popular when they come into conflict with affordability,” Smith said.
All New York’s new green energy mandates, including the separate Climate Protection Act, need to be amended because the mandates are impractical and costly, said Paul Zuber, executive vice president of the NYS Business Council.
Hochul also faces pressure to slow down deadlines to electrify New York’s car fleet.
The rule requires that 35% of 2026 model cars sold in the state be “emissions-free” and 100% by 2035, though Hochul’s office said there’s built-in flexibility to avoid penalties.
“We need to pump the brakes,” Zuber said.
