Climate advocates to rally for NY HEAT Act
Advocates and lawmakers have heavily pushed one aspect of the NY HEAT bill, which would codify that low-income New Yorkers never pay more than 6% of their annual income on utility bills, which they estimate will save ratepayers up to $75 a month. “I grew up knowing what it was like to not be able to afford heat or electricity, not have it affordable for people who need it, and to actually lose it and suffer through winters in the cold with just a blanket to warm you,” SUNY Cortland student Maurysha Cuttino told City & State. Cuttino, who will be attending the Albany rally, said that she also developed COPD at a young age due to dust from coal heating her grandfather used when he couldn’t afford the electric bill.
The NY HEAT Act also removes subsidies for utility companies that encourage new gas hookups, including one that puts the cost on existing gas customers if they live within 100 feet of a proposed new hookup. That amounts to about $200 million in subsidies a year paid for by New Yorkers. The bill also requires the Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities in the state, to adopt policies to decrease reliance on fossil fuels and decommission existing gas systems where possible. “We're holding rallies in New York City and in Albany, along with our legislators, to send a clear message to Gov. Kathy Hochul that New Yorkers cannot afford to subsidize the fracked gas system that is killing our climate and also impacting our wallet,” said Laura Shindell, an activist with Food and Water Watch. She said that timing also coincides with the start of the cold weather season following recently approved rate hikes across the state.