Newburgh, NY — Today, activists rallied in Newburgh, calling on Governor Hochul to include the NY HEAT Act in her state budget. The bill supports an affordable transition off fossil fuels by stopping the consumer-subsidized expansion of fracked gas lines like that which exploded last month in Wappingers Falls, razing a home and injuring more than a dozen people; and reducing utility bills by capping energy bills for low- and middle- income families.

The push comes in the face of controversial proposed Central Hudson rate hikes, which could go into effect next summer, raising bills by an average of $30-month for gas and electric customers.

Food & Water Watch Senior NY Organizer Laura Shindell said:

“New Yorkers are paying more and more money every year to expand a gas system that we know is dangerous for our communities and our climate. Not only do our high bills cover our own utilities; they also cover new gas lines for all new customers. We need to close this outdated loophole that only serves to expand fossil fuels, line industry pockets and spur on the climate crisis. Governor Hochul must put the NY HEAT Act in her budget to lower energy bills and stop the consumer subsidized gas system.”

“We’ve talked to hundreds of Beacon and Fishkill residents over the past year, and so many people are frustrated by their skyrocketing, inconsistent energy bills. Yet Central Hudson is asking for a massive rate increase without meaningfully addressing their predatory billing practices or stepping up to transition off of toxic fossil fuels. We shouldn’t have to pay for them to get their act together, nor can we wait for this company and others to do the right thing on their own. That’s why bills like NY HEAT are so important – not only to transition us off of fossil fuels, but to ensure that everyday New Yorkers aren’t forced to subsidize the failures of an unethical, dying industry,” says Jessie Van Amburg, a member of Beacon Climate Action Now.

The NY HEAT Act, which passed the NYS Senate this year, will stop expansion of the fracked gas system to protect the climate, and reduce future rate increases while limiting energy bills to 6% of household income and saving low and middle-income New Yorkers up to $75/month on their energy bills. The NY HEAT Act also gets rid of the unfair 100-foot rule, which forces New York families to subsidize new gas hookups to the tune of $200 million every year while accelerating fossil fuel-generated climate change that supercharges storms and floods, turns the sky orange and the air toxic from wildfires, and drives deadly extreme heat and cold.

Photos and video available here.