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New York House Republicans are ramping up a pressure campaign against Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., citing her failure to combat rising utility costs in the Empire State.
The group of lawmakers, led by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is calling on Hochul to scrap the state’s 2019 climate law that they blame for “skyrocketing” energy prices.
“Utility bills are at the center of the affordability crisis with New York,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Hochul Thursday, citing a study that found electricity prices in New York were the sixth highest in the nation in December and 59% higher than the national average. “Given these significant cost burdens, we strongly urge that the CLCPA [Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act] be repealed.”
The letter comes as Hochul, who is up for re-election in November and appears to be branding herself as a pragmatist on affordability issues, has acknowledged the “cataclysmic” costs for households and businesses if the law is implemented on schedule. That acknowledgment comes despite her long-standing support for the law, which passed under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference, July 31, 2024, in the Bronx borough of New York. (Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo)
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“Put simply, something has got to give,” Hochul wrote in an op-ed in March. “[T]he undeniable fact is we cannot meet the Climate Act’s 2030 targets without imposing new and additional crushing costs on New York businesses and residents.”
A Feb. 26 memo released by the Hochul administration found that households would pay $4,000 in additional energy costs per year if the state penalizes oil and gas producers as called for by the law. It also found the climate mandate would increase gas prices by $2.23 a gallon.
However, she has stopped short of backing a full repeal. In March, Hochul proposed delaying enforcement targets while keeping the law’s 2050 target of net-zero emissions in place.
Republicans, who see an opening to go on offense on affordability issues in deep-blue states, have ripped the governor’s efforts to move the enforcement goalposts while keeping the law in place.
“The basic fact is this: the 2019 Climate Law was based on faulty assumptions and was enacted using wishful thinking instead of hard facts,” the GOP lawmakers wrote. “It is time to inform the citizens of our state about the realities of the 2019 Climate Law and acknowledge that its goals are unattainable, its costs are too high, and it is overall destructive to our state’s economy.”
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and the rest of New York’s House Republican delegation are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., to support a full repeal of New York’s 2019 climate law. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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The debate over New York’s climate law comes as Democrats across the country are walking back aggressive environmental and climate policies amid surging electric bills and growing voter concern about the cost of living.
“It is essential that the implementation of the energy transition move forward on an affordable and practical basis to protect ratepayers from skyrocketing energy costs,” the GOP lawmakers wrote.
The group is also demanding that Hochul provide “immediate relief” to New Yorkers by redirecting several billion dollars in unspent ratepayer-collected funds back to residents facing high electric bills as utility bill credits.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last vote of the week on Jan. 9, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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More than 60% of New Yorkers said that keeping energy costs affordable is more important than lowering greenhouse gas emissions, according to an April 2025 Siena College poll.
A spokesperson for Hochul did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
