Lohud: Utility prices crush NY's middle class. Where is Albany?

No matter which party you belong to, it is everyone's interest to care about ensuring that the air we breathe and water we drink is clean, and that we safeguard the environment for our children, grandchildren and future generations.

That said, are "green" policies mandated by Albany Democrats - almost exclusively driven by extreme ideology rather than basic economics and science - really the best way forward? One look at your most recent electric or home heating bill and it's pretty clear that the answer is no.

Did you know that "To be determined" was what was officially listed as the fiscal implication when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic-controlled state Legislature enacted the so-called Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019?

Fast forward to 2026, utility ratepayers throughout the Hudson Valley are bearing the ever-rising cost of Albany's recklessness and insistence to place ideology ahead of common sense.

Consider this: The CLCPA required a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and an 85% reduction by 2050. In addition, it required 70% of the state's electric grid to be powered by renewables in 2030 rising to 100% by 2040. Ambitious? Yes. Realistic? Not even close.

Now, with NYSEG seeking another 24% increase in electric rates and a 34% increase for natural gas, the impacts of this disastrous policy are starting to hit ratepayers where it hurts - their pocketbooks. And it's only going to get worse.

According to official state projections, this transition will cost between $280 and $340 billion. For families struggling to overcome the affordability crisis, the CPCLA will add massive new costs to across every aspect of daily life. For example, the state law preventing the use of lower cost natural gas in the construction of new buildings will add more than $5,000 to the average cost of a new home and millions of dollars in new fees were added to New Yorkers' utility bills to subsidize the struggling solar power industry.

The Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan is in the process of being decommissioned April 22, 2025. At far right are spent nuclear fuel rods in storage. Peter Carr And John Meore/The Journal News

When coupled with Cuomo's politically-driven decision to close Indian Point, which wiped out roughly 25% of downstate New York's electricity supply overnight, the financial consequences for Hudson Valley families will only continue to get worse.

The people hurt the most by these failed energy policies are the working poor and families struggling to reach the middle class. Let's face it: Wealthy people might not like to pay higher energy bills, but doing so is unlikely to demonstrably change their quality of life.

However, for someone earning the annual median household income of less than $90,000 to support them and their family, these energy mandates are devastating in a state already renowned for sky-high taxes and a downright oppressive cost of living.

More: NY utilities spent $32M arguing for rate hikes and charged ratepayers

That is why, from day one, I have consistently advocated for an all-of-the-above energy policy designed to ensure the reliability of our electric grid, promote energy independence, lower utility costs and protect the environment.

While New York irresponsibly banned the extraction of clean natural gas from the state's economically-struggling Southern Tier, it is important to remember that natural gas represents up to 70% of New York's energy mix and has accounted for 60% more carbon emissions reductions than renewable sources by expediting the state's transition from coal.

As a member of the state Assembly, I advocated to repeal the CLCPA and opposed the closure of Indian Point, which provided Westchester families with some of the lowest-cost, cleanest and most reliable power in New York. In fact, the state's carbon emissions have actually increased since Indian Point went offline.

In Congress, I opposed the Biden administration's failed energy agenda that closed key pipelines, limited domestic energy production and ended America's energy independence achieved during the first Trump administration. That said, I have also opposed my own party's efforts to cut certain renewable energy tax credits that have effectively advanced this all-of-the above approach.

With America's continued transition to a technology-based economy and the exponential growth of artificial intelligence, energy now impacts virtually every aspect of our economic and national security policy.

Albany's failed, ideologically-driven approach to energy policy is not protecting our environment. It is making New Yorkers less secure and adding significant costs that continue to drive more and more people, businesses, and jobs out of the state. Until Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Democratic majorities in the state legislature start prioritizing the needs of those they are supposed to represent, Hudson Valley families will continue to pay the price.

https://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/2026/02/05/mike-lawler-hudson-valley-ny-energy-prices-opinion/88508540007/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook