New York Democrats have joined Republicans in urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to pump the brakes on the timeline forcing New Yorkers to switch from gas-powered cars to emission-free electric autos.
The Advanced Clean Car 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.
The message from New York lawmakers: slow down!
“While we understand the goal of reducing emissions, the current mandate presents numerous challenges for New Yorkers, particularly for dealerships, employees, and consumers, that could have substantial economic repercussions,” a Feb.14 bipartisan letter sent to Hochul by eight members of NY’s House delegation — including fellow upstate Democratic Reps. Joseph Morelle of Rochester, John Mannion of Syracuse and Tim Kennedy of Buffalo.
The leak of the letter from House members comes a week after The Post reported gripes from New York auto dealers who said the deadline to meet the goals of weaning drivers off gas-powered cars to electric vehicles is pie in the sky.
“While we share the goal of reducing emissions, these targets are misaligned with current consumer demand. Nationally, electric vehicle sales accounted for just 8.1% of the market in 2024, up only slightly from 7.8% in 2023, and in many parts of New York, EV sales remain below 2%,” read the bipartisan letter also signed by Republican Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Lawler, Nick Langworthy, Nick LaLota, and Claudia Tenney.
“Despite increased investment in EV infrastructure and extensive government incentives, many consumers are not yet ready or able to make the switch to electric vehicles,” the lawmakers said.
The aggressive timeline to transition from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles could damage New York’s auto market, the pols claimed.
They also contended that auto dealers this year will be required to sell one zero-emission vehicle for every two gas-powered or hybrid vehicles sold.
“This artificial manipulation of supply and demand is expected to raise the prices of all vehicles, making even hybrids and gas-powered cars more expensive for consumers,” the congressmembers said.
“We urge you to reconsider the EV Sales Mandate’s timeline and allow for a more gradual transition that takes into account market realities, consumer readiness, and the economic well-being of New Yorkers.”
The lawmakers said a balanced and practical approach would give the state time to build the necessary infrastructure such as charging stations, increase public confidence in EV technology and provide consumers with a greater variety of vehicles to meet their needs.
But Hochul’s office insisted Monday there’s no reason to delay the timeline because of flexibility built into the rules that give car manufacturers more time to comply.
“The State has been clear that manufacturers do not need to achieve 35% of car sales as EVs by next year. The requirements …can be achieved with a variety of available flexibilities,” said Hochul spokesman Paul DeMichele.
“As a result, the effective requirement for EV sales is as low as 11% for model year 2026,” he said.
State data shows that more than 10% of all car sales in New York are EVs; an increase of 412% since 2021.
Hochul’s rep said the state Department of Environmental Conservation will not enforce the 2026 EV model 35% sales rate until the end of 2030 “at the earliest.”
“The governor doesn’t intend to punitively penalize the path to a better future—we can and will do this together,” DeMichele said.
It’s just the latest spat over New York’s green energy and climate change laws.
A coalition of business and fossil fuel trade groups just filed a federal suit against the Hochul administration over a law that will force oil, natural gas and coal companies to pay a staggering $75 billion for spewing carbon emissions.
Overall, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 requires the state and its energy producers and consumers to move away from fossil fuels by slashing gas emissions by 40% by 2030 with the goal of achieving 100% zero-carbon-emission electricity by 2040.
Hochul and the Democratic-led legislature have also banned gas stoves, furnaces and propane heating in new buildings. In December, Hochul extended the state’s fracking ban by prohibiting a new technique to use carbon dioxide to extract natural gas.
The gripes come amid outrage over Con Edison’s request to jack up electric bills by 11.4% and send gas bills soaring 13.3% for its 3.6 million customers.
Hochul has said she opposed the hikes even though the utility giant partially blamed the need for higher rates on the high cost of building clean energy infrastructure to comply with the state climate law.
