Garden City, NY — On Wednesday night, advocates rallied outside the Garden City Hotel where Governor Hochul held a fundraising event, calling on Hochul to support an affordable transition of climate-killing fossil fuels by passing the NY HEAT Act in her state budget. The push comes amidst local hearings on proposed National Grid rate hikes which, if approved, would cost Long Islanders heating their homes with gas, an average of $28.52 more a month.

Food & Water Watch Northeast Region Director Alex Beauchamp said:

“With every passing month, New Yorkers are footing a skyrocketing bill for an increased reliance on climate-killing fossil fuels — none of this is sustainable. New York needs to move off fossil fuels and keep this transition affordable. That’s why we’re calling on Governor Hochul to pass the NY HEAT Act in her state budget to stop the consumer subsidized gas system and reduce utility bills.”

The NY HEAT Act, which passed the State Senate this year, would support an affordable transition off fossil fuels by stopping the consumer-subsidized expansion of fracked gas systems; and reducing utility bills by capping energy bills at 6% for low- and middle- income families, saving them up to $75 per month.

“As a retiree on a fixed income, National Grid’s ever-increasing costs hit hard. With each passing month, my neighbors and I are paying more for something we just don’t want. We know our gas system is dirty and dangerous — we need to cut the fossil fuel cord, not invest in expansion,” said Food & Water Watch Volunteer Joe Varon, a resident of West Hempstead. “For the sake of my present and my grandchildren’s future, Governor Hochul must include the NY HEAT Act in her state budget.”

“Long Islanders urgently need Governor Hochul to pass the New York HEAT Act, a crucial legislation designed to combat climate change and protect public health. By aligning gas utility regulation with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, this bill not only slashes greenhouse gas emissions, preventing diseases like asthma and heart conditions, but also ensures that low-income families are shielded from excessive energy costs, paving the way for a sustainable and just energy future,” said Francesca Rheannon, Climate Reality Project Long Island Chapter Co-Chair and East Hampton Town Board Energy and Sustainability Advisory Committee Member.

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