This call to action is to show support for the New York Home Energy Affordable Transition (NY HEAT Act) legislation that will continue to move New York State toward a clean, renewable, affordable energy economy, away from the burning of fossil fuels that is cause global warming and all its climate disruption.

Please raise your voices and add your presence to demand affordable, clean, and climate-friendly buildings in New York State. This is another opportunity to stand for a clean, renewable energy future. There will be a statewide set of events, so you can join in at a rally nearest you, planned for Thursday, December 12 (time varies depending on the location; please note that the Buffalo event is on the 11th). This will be a statewide set of events, and two are within a proximity of the Mid-Hudson Group vicinity (in Kingston, and in Tuckahoe in Westchester County). Detailed information and RSVP can be found at the Renewable Heat Now website.

We are asking Governor Hochul to prioritize buildings that conform to this clean, renewable vision for buildings in her 2025 State of the State address and in the budget. The rallies will help send the message that New York State constituents want a clean, renewable, affordable energy transition. Please help us make it happen.

The NY HEAT Act (New York Home Energy Affordable Transition) has two primary goals. The bill’s broader aim is to accelerate a shift away from natural gas and help limit emissions from the burning of fossil fuels that cause global warming.

It would eliminate a requirement known as the “obligation to serve,” where utilities automatically provide gas to new customers who request it, reducing the expansion of gas infrastructure. Currently, gas companies are required to provide free hookups to new customers within 100 feet of the pipe system, and existing ratepayers subsidize the work. Eliminating the so-called 100-foot rule would save ratepayers about $200 million annually and encourage utilities and new customers to explore and invest in alternative energy options.

In an article about this bill, The New York Times noted that more than half of New York’s greenhouse gases come from buildings and transportation, and in densely populated areas such as New York City, buildings account for about 70 percent of these emissions. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), signed into law in 2019, requires New York to decrease greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. NY HEAT contributes to those goals. The Times included the following quote from Liz Krueger, the Democratic senator and sponsor of the bill:

“We are in a race against time, not because of the mandates of our legislation, but because of the reality that the world is in crisis and at risk of self-destruction.”

Source: NYSERDA