Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan once famously quipped that “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” No single sentence is more appropriate to describe the arguments presented by state Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon in favor of their bill on natural gas hook ups, now sitting on Gov. Hochul’s desk.
As Hochul and common-sense legislators have come to better understand what climate mandates will cost the voting public, proponents like Krueger and Simon have backed away from them. Instead of looking to ban gas, they have now decided to step on the gas instead. The Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) gas pipeline has been approved, the all-electric building mandate has been stalled, and affordability has triumphed as the energy issue of this moment.
This brings us to the discussion of the 100-foot rule in the legislation. Maintaining the present policy is good for jobs, good for consumers and great for our economy. The current rule allows a consumer within 100 feet of a gas line to connect to the system free of charge. If this rule were abolished, new customers would face additional costs of up to $10,000.
According to data compiled by AARP, New Yorkers already pay some of the highest utility bills in the nation, and among the highest per kilowatt electricity prices. These bills are not driven by utility profits, wholesale energy costs or 100-foot rule subsidies, they are driven by energy taxes, fees and mandates passed by state regulators and politicians like Krueger and Simon.
Taxes and fees account for roughly a quarter of your utility bills. The 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act has added 10% to energy bills already, and the numbers are only going to increase.
At the same time, New York faces a housing crisis, with low inventory and rising prices driven by high demand. Repealing the 100-foot rule will further raise the cost of building a home in New York State. Energy choice should not only apply to those who are wealthy enough to afford it.
The facts are that Krueger and Simon have voted for or supported the “electrification at any cost” policies that have led to higher energy and housing bills for New Yorkers over the last decade. Why would we trust anything they say now?
Thousands of union and non-union jobs in New York are supported by gas infrastructure. Ending the 100-foot rule and disincentivizing gas hook ups will put many of those folks on the unemployment line. The bill’s sponsors have said these people can magically become electricians overnight and no jobs will be lost. Well, if you believe a gas worker can transform into an electrician without a massive investment of time and money, then we have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.
Statewide, 53.5% of our electricity is generated by burning natural gas. The more we convert buildings to electricity the more gas we will burn. The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has forecasted that we must triple our generation capacity between now and 2040. Since New York is meeting none of its renewable energy targets, and it takes at least a decade to build nuclear power, what does Krueger and Simon think will power those new plants? You guessed it, natural gas!
New York is on the cusp of exciting possibilities. In Syracuse, Micron is constructing a massive, advanced manufacturing facility that will employ thousands and require large amounts of new power. As data centers look for new places to build, they will be looking for locations with abundant and inexpensive energy supplies coming from diverse sources of fuel.
Now is not the time to raise costs and threaten jobs by adopting harmful new energy mandates, pushed by the usual activists and politicians who have already presided over the largest population exodus in our state’s history.
We agree with the governor that New York needs an all of the above approach to our energy future. We urge her to veto the 100-foot rule bill and continue her support for an affordable and pragmatic energy future for New York State.
Ortega is the executive director of New Yorkers for Affordable Energy.
