From: Anthony Kownack, Corning Place Communications

Subject: Weekly Articles of Interest (New York Propane Gas Association)

Date: January 12, 2024

Bill,

Below, please find a compilation of articles, issued this week, that may be of interest to you. Articles
are also hyperlinked within each headline.

Thank you,

Anthony

Weekly Articles of Interest Include:

 The NY HEAT Act will help families and fight climate change
 Hochul to target limiting gas system expansion, transmission siting
 Environmentalists’ 2024 Albany Agenda? Making Polluters Pay
 Bill offers counter to New York's Cap-and-Invest pre-proposal
 Five environmental issues to watch this session
 Hochul briefly mentions climate goals in State of the State address
 Hochul's top policy adviser to depart ahead of expected Assembly run
 Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State: Our New York, Our Future

The NY HEAT Act will help families and fight climate change
Lea Webb
Times Union
January 8, 2024

Across the state, gas and electric bills are skyrocketing. But these hikes don’t affect us all the same.
For many of my constituents, it’s a matter of being able to keep the lights on, food on the table, and
their businesses open. They cannot afford to wait.

That’s why I urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to include the NY HEAT Act in her executive budget to reduce
future rate hikes and put up to $75 per month back into the pockets of low- and middle-income
families.

According to a recent Siena poll, 8 in 10 New Yorkers across party lines say the high cost of living in
New York is a major problem. And recent utility hikes are exacerbating this crisis.
Experts agree that utility bills higher than 6% of a family’s income are unaffordable. But in 2019 –
even before this new wave of rate hikes – data from the Public Utility Law Project shows that across
the state, low-income New Yorkers on average are spending 13.4% of their income on their energy
bills. In some regions it’s as high as 17%.

And it’s only getting worse. The state Public Service Commission recently approved new rates for
NYSEG customers in the Southern Tier that will cost the average customer $40 more every month
after they take full effect. In the Hudson Valley, Central Hudson’s proposed gas and electric rate
hikes could cost customers close to a whopping $30 a month. ConEd, National Grid, RG&E and
National Fuel Gas also hiked rates or proposed rate hikes last year, raising energy bills for the
majority of New Yorkers.

Passing the NY HEAT Act would give families relief from these skyrocketing bills. This legislation,
which has 75 sponsors in the Assembly and has already passed the state Senate, will not only
reduce future gas rate hikes across the state, but will protect the planet by stopping the expansion
of the fracked gas system. It will cap utility bills for low- and middle-income New Yorkers at 6% of
income, saving them up to $75 a month on their utility bills. And it will get 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.

The NY HEAT Act will also allow utilities to redirect $150 billion that would have gone toward
expanding the fracked gas pipeline network, and instead put it toward clean energy systems.
Within the past year alone, New Yorkers have breathed in toxic air while the sky turned orange,
suffered through extreme heat and watched roads and property wash away in floods. Yet we’re
being asked to pour more and more money into this system that’s harming us and destroying the
planet for our children.

Many of our neighbors don’t have the luxury of worrying about climate change when they’re
worried about how to keep the lights on or afford their next meal. Families here in the Southern
Tier and across the state deserve both a safe environment and equitable access to utilities. By
including the NY HEAT Act in next year’s budget, Gov. Hochul help with both: She can fight climate
change and put money back into the pockets of struggling New Yorkers.

Sen. Lea Webb of Binghamton represents the 52nd state Senate District.

Hochul to target limiting gas system expansion, transmission siting

Marie J. French
Politico
January 9, 2024

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to curtail the expansion of the state’s gas system and
align utility rules with the state’s climate law.

Hochul plans to embrace portions of a major environmental priority focused on natural gas utilities
as part of her State of the State on Tuesday, according to a copy of her plan obtained by POLITICO.

The governor isn’t backing all portions of a Senate-backed gas transition measure dubbed “ NY
HEAT,” but her opening salvo signals the issue is likely to be a top item in budget negotiations.
The governor is also proposing a statewide community solar program for utility customers
receiving bill assistance; new efforts by utility regulators to harness smart meters and plan for
virtual power plants; and a revamp of the state’s siting process for transmission projects.

“With bold actions to deploy renewable energy swiftly and transition away from fossil fuels, we are
not only charting the course for a cleaner and healthier New York State, but we are making
important changes that will reduce costs for our most vulnerable New Yorkers,” Hochul said in a
statement.

Gas transition proposal

While precise details will have to wait for Hochul’s budget plan Jan. 16, the governor will endorse in
her speech an end to the “100 foot rule” that requires other customers to subsidize new gas
hookups and the “obligation to serve.”

But will not be a complete prohibition on new gas hookups and may not go as far as the legislative
proposal on the issue.

The “Affordable Gas Transition Act,” will “not impact the safe and reliable provision of service to
existing customers,” the State of the State book says.

The proposal gives the Public Service Commission the authority to start a proceeding to explore
how clean technologies like thermal networks can provide neighborhood-scale solutions and
ensure gas customers can have affordable, adequate solutions, according to the governor’s office.

The measure will not include a major priority for environmental groups pushing the legislative NY
HEAT bill: a 6 percent of income cap on utility bills for low- and moderate-income residents.

instead, Hochul would direct state agencies to prioritize energy affordability for customers that
electrify for heating.

Siting changes target transmission

The Democratic governor also wants to tackle siting transmission, as POLITICO previously
reported.

She’s proposing to move the Office of Renewable Energy Siting, currently within the Department of
State, under the purview of the Department of Public Service and set up a streamlined process for
siting transmission lines.

Hochul won’t propose to move large-scale storage under the purview of ORES, according to the
governor’s office.

The New York League of Conservation Voters is supportive of transmission initiative.

“Transmission takes longer than we have time for,” the group’s president Julie Tighe said.
Sen. Kevin Parker, chair of the Energy Committee, said that ORES’ performance thus far has
“underwhelmed.” But he noted that the Department of State had to build a new office and add staff
for it. He’s open to the idea of expanding the office’s responsibilities and moving it within the
administration if it will speed things up.

A transmission project can take up to two years to permit, according to the governor’s office. Larger
lines with more complex environmental impacts have often taken longer and typically return to
regulators for revisions.

The measure will be dubbed the “Renewable Action Through Project Interconnection and
Deployment” or “RAPID” Act.

Details, however, will be key because environmental groups and other state agencies are typically
involved in the siting process under Article 7 for transmission projects. Former Gov. Andrew
Cuomo had also crafted a new process to expedite transmission along existing rights-of-way as part
of the 2020 budget.

Hochul will direct the Department of Public Service to launch a new process aimed at improving
interconnections for distributed energy resources like small-scale solar and storage.

“The proceeding will consider incentives, penalties, and other mechanisms for New York State
utilities to facilitate faster and more efficient interconnection,” the State of the State book says.
“This proceeding will ensure distribution utilities across New York are held accountable to their
responsibilities to build out the clean energy grid of the future.”

Other executive actions

Hochul also wants to drastically expand a community solar program to benefit utility ratepayers
that National Grid is getting off the ground in its upstate territory.

She wants the Public Service Commission to expand a new “Statewide Solar for All” program to give
low-income customers enrolled in utility Energy Affordability Programs credits from community
solar projects. This proposal was made by the Department of Public Service and is pending at the
PSC. NYSERDA would procure the community solar projects.

The governor’s move is sure to concern some in the community solar industry, particularly
companies focused on signing up customers for projects. They’ve argued credits may be too small
to really provide significant benefits.

The governor’s office estimated that bill savings could be $40 a year for the 800,000 low-income
customers who’d benefit.

The governor also wants New York ratepayers to get benefits from time-of-use rates. She’s
launching a “Smart Energy Savings Initiative” that she says will save EV owners $200 per year and
those with heat pumps between $100 and $500 per year.

Hochul will also direct the Department of Public Service to start an “NY Grid of the Future”
proceeding that will focus on flexible technologies like virtual power plants. A plan will be due by
the end of the year “laying out clear targets for needed capabilities, required investments, and
expected benefits and savings,” according to the State of the State book.

Environmentalists’ 2024 Albany Agenda? Making Polluters Pay

Mariana Simoes
City Limits
January 8, 2024

As the 2024 legislative session kicks off in Albany, environmental advocates say the priority this
year will be to back legislation that shifts the burden of funding New York’s transition to a low-
carbon economy away from the taxpayer—and make polluters pay instead.

Government officials estimate it will cost nearly $44 billion to fulfill the state’s climate law, which
aims to stop powering the state with polluting fossil fuels and reduce 85 percent of greenhouse gas
emissions below 1990 levels by 2050.

“We’re going to need real investment from the State to make sure [those costs are] not going to be
on the backs of poor and working class New Yorkers. So we just have to make that happen,” said
Alex Beauchamp, northeast region director at the non-profit Food & Water Watch.

To ensure New Yorkers aren’t footing the bill, environmental advocates say they will prioritize
passage of the NY Heat Act, which would stop utility companies from using customer money to pay
for new gas hookups. They’re also championing the Climate Change Superfund bill that would
require the most prolific oil and gas producers to fund projects that protect the state from the
effects of global warming.

They also plan to push Gov. Kathy Hochul to solidify details for an on-going Cap-and-Invest
program, which will charge companies for carbon pollution and funnel the proceeds towards
climate change mitigation efforts. The idea is to keep taxpayers from footing the entire bill for the
massive expenses generated by the impacts of increasingly extreme weather.

Gov. Hochul’s opening statements ahead of this year’s legislative session signaled that making New
York more affordable will be a top priority this year.

“If the last two years have been about putting more money in New Yorkers’ pockets, this year is
about keeping it there and that starts with safeguarding people’s hard-earned cash,” the governor
said in a press release announcing several consumer protection policies last week.

For the environmental community, Cap-and-Invest and bills like the NY Heat Act will allow Hochul
to do just that.

“[These innitatives] allow us to fight the climate crisis and deal with the growing affordability crisis
across the board in New York,” Beauchamp said.

‘The biggest thing on the table in Albany’

Senator Liz Krueger, who is sponsoring both the NY Heat Act and the Climate Change Superfund, is
confident that her bills are a win-win for the state.

“I think a dual theme of both of those bills is that not only are they good for the planet, they save us
money,” said Krueger.
The NY Heat Act puts a cap on utility bills so that low-and middle-income New Yorkers spend no
more than 6 percent of their household income on utilities. This would save the average family $75
per month, according to Krueger.

The legislation also aims to nix regulations that make it easier for fossil fuel companies to use
customer money to pay for gas line extensions.

Alliance for a Green Economy

Environmental advocates at a rally for passage of the NY Heat Act in the spring of 2023.

As it stands, utility companies are required by law to supply gas without charge to any customer
who wants it and lives within 100 feet of an existing line. But these hookups aren’t actually free:
those costs are built into the rates utilities charge paying customers, costing New Yorkers up
to $200 million annually. By getting rid of the 100 foot rule, the bill attempts to save ratepayers
money.

Fossil fuel industry groups however are skeptical of the bill, saying that forcing homeowners to
shift too quickly to electricity produced from renewable sources that are still scarce on the market
will be very risky. Just 27 to 29 percent of the state’s electricity currently comes from renewable
energy.

But environmentalists like Beauchamp, who called the NY Heat Act “the biggest thing on the table in
Albany this year,” are prepared to fight for it.

Hochul’s office did not respond to City Limits’ request for comment on the governor’s climate plans
this session.

‘How all this money is going to be spent’

Other advocates say that fleshing out the Cap-and-Invest program this year will be just as
important.

Passed into law three years ago, the program establishes a cap on how much companies can pollute,
and those that exceed those carbon emissions limits will have to purchase a permit to keep
operating above that threshold. The cap, expected to go into effect in 2025, will get stricter over
time until New York’s emissions are brought down by at least 85 percent by 2050, in accordance
with the state’s climate law.

“The urgency of [Cap-and-Invest] never goes away. But I think the agencies are on track to finalize a
rule this calendar year, and we will certainly be encouraging them to stick with that timeline,” said
Kate Courtin, senior manager at the Environmental Defense Fund.

The state published a “pre-proposal” for the program in December, but a more solid draft will
continue to evolve as interested parties weigh in and a final version of the proposal won’t be ready
until end of this year. NYSERDA did not immediately respond to questions about its anticipated
timeline.

One of the major aspects of Cap-and-Invest that advocates hope to see outlined in the governor’s
budget this year are details on what will happen to money generated from the program.
“We can’t have the governor or the legislature prescribing how all this money is going to be spent,”
Senator Peter Harckham, who chairs the State Senate’s environmental conservation committee, told
City Limits.

“We need to create a flexible system where communities that have been impacted by climate
change are able to make some of those decisions and then receive investments from the program.
We need to focus on community centered investments,” he added.

Last year, Harckham sponsored a bill that would create a fund so that money earned from state
programs like Cap-and-invest can be distributed for community efforts, like grassroots-led
initiatives to reduce local emissions and job training programs for impacted workers. His bill didn’t
pass, but mentions of the fund were included in Hochul’s final budget last year.

‘The stakes are higher than ever’

Showing a willingness to move forward with these and other pillars of Cap-and-Invest, advocates
say, will reinforce Hochul’s commitment to honoring the state’s 2019 Climate Leadership and
Community Protection Act, or CLCPA.

“The stakes are higher than ever so the governor needs to be willing to step out and make sure that
we fully implement the CLCPA,” said Raya Salter, a member of the New York State Climate Action
Council and founder of the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center.

Setbacks in developing clean energy projects last year put into question the ability to meet the
demands of the law, which requires that 70 percent of New York’s power come from renewable
sources by 2030.

This year already started with the news that inflation and supply chain hurdles propelled the
European energy firms Equinor and BP to terminate their contracts to sell clean energy to New
York state from the offshore wind farm, Empire Wind 2.

To top it off, climate change related disasters have been mounting, creating a sense of urgency
around finding a solution.

“This past summer we had the wildfires in Canada that lead to dangerous air quality in the state. On
top of it all we had heat waves and unprecedented flooding,” said Liz Moran, a policy advocate at
EarthJustice.

“So we think there’s a lot of pressure on the governor to address these issues, both in making sure
we’re generating enough renewable energy to meet our climate law mandates and that we’re
tackling the climate crisis to protect the wallets and the health of everyday New Yorkers,” she said.

Bill offers counter to New York's Cap-and-Invest pre-proposal

Kate Lisa
State of Politics
January 9, 2024

New legislation introduced in the state Assembly poses stricter guardrails for New York's
Cap-and-Invest program than an early framework of the emission-reduction program state
agencies released days before Christmas.
Assemblywoman Anna Kelles, a member of the Environmental Conservation Committee, is
sponsoring a bill to develop cap-and-invest in the state after it was included in the last
budget with little structure.
The program would cap the state's annual permitted greenhouse gas emissions to meet
mandates of the 2019 Climate Act, and require businesses to buy credits to emit pollutants
if they exceed the limit.
Kelles takes issue with a provision included in the outline released Dec. 20 by the state
Department of Environmental Conservation and state Energy Research and Development
Authority, which allows businesses to hold onto, or sell, allowances they don't use —
creating a secondary market.
"We called it a cap-and-invest — and cap-and-invest it is not," the assemblywoman said
Monday. "This proposal is a cap-and-trade."
Second Stage of Pre-Proposa... by Matthew
Kelles said the state's proposal to allow businesses to sell their credits would push
corporations to prioritize making a profit off them instead of converting to renewable
energy to stop purchasing credits in the future — defeating the purpose of the program.
"This is like banking on only one guardrail, which is that the amount of allowances that
they are releasing is dependent on the cap, which reduces over time," Kelles said. "So
there's less guardrails than I would like."
The assemblywoman will push for her legislation to shape how the DEC and NYSERDA
establish New York's Cap-and-Invest program. Her proposal creates guardrails for how the
money collected from businesses is spent, and allows businesses to bank unused credits in
reserve, but not sell them to other entities.
The legislation and state's pre-proposal both create a floor and ceiling for the credit price
for polluters and require a portion of credits be reserved in case of unforeseen events.
DEC and NYSERDA released a Climate Affordability study Dec. 20 to examine the best ways
to use cap-and-invest program funds, recommending refundable tax credits or using
existing benefit programs. Money from the program is expected to be used for renewable
energy projects and consumer rebates.
“New York’s Cap-and-Invest Program, once designed and implemented, will be a critical
tool to help the state advance its clean energy goals in an affordable and equitable
way," NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen Harris said when the outline and study were
released. "The pre-proposal outline and the Climate Affordability Study provide necessary
information to help stakeholders inform DEC and NYSERDA in shaping a program that
brings meaningful benefits to New Yorkers.”
The agencies will hold virtual meetings with stakeholders through the end of January to get
input as part of work to draft regulatory proposals.
“New York State is developing a cap-and-invest program to effectively reduce climate
pollution while advancing environmental, public health and economic benefits to
communities," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "Robust stakeholder engagement is
critical to standing up a cap-and-invest program that works for all New Yorkers and the
release of the pre-proposal and affordability study provide DEC and NYSERDA with
opportunities to further engage with New Yorkers with a wide range of points of view to
help implement NYCI in a just and equitable manner."
Lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul disagreed last year on the program's oversight
to ensure the money is spent on renewable energy projects and tax rebates.

Five environmental issues to watch this session

Marie J. French
Politico
January 8, 2024

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York lawmakers this session will have to balance pressure to take action on
climate policy with concerns about consumer cost in a critical election year.

Top New York Democratic lawmakers expressed a desire to keep moving forward on measures to
slash emissions and reduce waste as the six-month session kicked off last week.

“There’s so much we need to do on climate this year,” said Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), chair of
the Senate Finance Committee. “We have no choice; we just have to keep upping the ante.”

Policy on waste, buildings and transportation are all on the docket this year.

Here’s a list of climate and environmental issues that will shape budget discussions and the rest of
session.

Tackling waste

Addressing packaging waste by tasking producers with more responsibility is again one of the top
priorities for the chairs of the Environmental Conservation committees.

Sen. Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Deborah Glick are again pushing a measure that would
require producers and distributors of packaging to begin reducing the amount of material they use
and mandate the use of recycled materials. It has support from local governments, including New
York City, that are faced with rising costs to dispose of trash.

It’s also a climate issue. Waste contributes about 11 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas
emissions, and extended producer responsibility legislation was supported in the state's climate
plan approved last year to move toward renewable energy sources.

But the legislative proposal faces opposition from industry and isn’t completely aligned with what
Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed last year in the budget. The chairs held a hearing in October, and
Harckham said they’d consider any revisions together.

“We have a joint bill for the first time in a number of years. We are meeting with scores of
stakeholders,” Harckham (D-Westchester County) said. “Nobody can say they didn't have input.
We've already addressed a lot of that with revisions.”
Glick, meanwhile, expressed confidence the bill would move early in session and wouldn’t have to
be included in the state budget for the fiscal year that starts April 1. The Assembly typically opposes
including policy in the budget.

Glick (D-Manhattan) also said she wants to tackle changes to the bottle bill this session.
Environmental groups, municipalities and the recycling industry have all been pushing change to
the five cent deposit on many beverage containers, but they aren’t all necessarily aligned.

Glick said that, in some ways, dealing with extended producer responsibility — a system that
doesn’t exist — is easier than tackling the thorny issues around the bottle bill.

“When you're trying to do something with a program that's existed for a long time, but has some
hiccups in it, you can't just add to it. You have to try to figure out how to fix some of the hiccups,”
she said.

Gas transition efforts

Environmental groups have coalesced around their next target to decarbonize New York’s
buildings, which contribute about a third of greenhouse gas emissions.

After successfully enshrining mandates to electrify new buildings in the coming years into law,
mechanisms to address the state’s aging gas system are on the docket.

Green groups are prioritizing the New York Home Energy Affordable Transition Act, “NY HEAT,” a
multi-pronged measure that eliminates the “obligation to serve” requiring gas utilities to hook up
new customers and the “100 foot rule,” a part of state law mandating other gas customers subsidize
new hookups within 100 feet of a gas main.

The Public Service Commission cannot change that part of the law, and it has failed to follow
through on efforts to address other subsidies for new hookups in its regulations. Proponents of the
bill say it will align the state’s climate law with utility regulation. Such changes were also backed in
the state’s climate plan.

Some gas utilities and business groups oppose the measure. Upstate and suburban Assembly
Democrats are concerned about the impact on existing gas customers and increased costs for
residents seeking gas service.

NY HEAT would also clear the way for the PSC to direct gas utilities to electrify entire
neighborhoods instead of replacing aging gas lines. Advocates argue this would be a more
proactive, planned approach that should be paired with incentives and financial support to control
costs and avoid pouring more money into building up the gas system.

The measure also includes a requirement to cap utility bills for low- and moderate-income New
Yorkers at 6 percent, which would increase costs for other ratepayers.

“There’s a lot of concerns about the legislation, so let’s see if we can address those concerns,” said
Sen. Kevin Parker, chair of the Energy Committee where NY HEAT moved through last session. “I
think the goals are admirable, the question is can we get a working version of it that won’t stall the
industry.”
Cleaning up transportation

While buildings have gotten a lot of attention in recent legislative sessions, the transportation
sector is also a major contributor to emissions in New York. The state currently offers an up to
$2,000 rebate for electric vehicles, on top of federal incentives.

But policymakers recently acknowledged New York won’t hit the longtime 850,000 zero-emission
vehicles by 2025 target.

Harckham said he wants to boost state incentives because of the limited availability of federal
support. He opposes a “feebate” approach, which is recommended in the state’s climate plan and
would use charges on the sale of gas cars to fund incentives for EVs.

“People are having a hard time paying bills right now. I don't think we want to be adding more
taxes,” he said.

One no-cost priority for Harckham and some environmental groups this session could spur a major
battle with the powerful auto dealer lobby. The senator has modified his “direct sales” bill, which
would open up the state to more locations for Tesla and other EV manufacturers that sell directly to
their consumers.

The new version, S7767, would link phasing in new direct sales locations to whether the state is on
track in meeting its EV sales targets. Harckham said he hopes the approach will be “less
threatening” to auto dealers, which have long opposed the change.

“They'll never be happy I think with any kind of direct sales approach, but we need competition. We
really need to open up competition,” he said.

Polluters pay up

Looming over session will be Hochul’s effort to implement the “cap and invest” program aimed at
meeting the state’s climate goals. The program to cap pollution and require fuel distributors and
large polluters to buy allowances at auction is expected to increase gas and home heating fuel costs.

Hochul’s agencies recommended a tax rebate as the first line of a consumer benefit from the money
raised, with other mechanisms to reach those that don’t file taxes. The program isn’t expected to be
finalized until 2025.

Lawmakers, meanwhile, are monitoring the development of regulations, but haven’t coalesced
around legislative steps on the program. NY Renews, a powerful labor and environmental coalition,
is pushing for some guardrails and spending priorities from the cap-and-trade style program.

Harckham said he’d like to start laying out spending priorities for the money raised. He wants a
portion used for debt service on a $500 million stormwater and flooding infrastructure fund, with
grants for local governments, to combat the effects of climate change.

Others appear to be taking more of a wait-and-see approach.

“Cap and invest is all in the governor’s hands right now,” Parker said.
Some environmental groups will be seeking another way to raise revenue: by penalizing major oil
companies for damages from historical pollution from the sales of fossil fuels. The Senate is
expected to continue to support the so-called Climate Superfund measure, but faces opposition
from business groups and the industry.

Hochul hasn’t embraced the concept, either.

Funding environmental priorities

Environmental groups are looking to play defense this year, pushing to keep the Environmental
Protection Fund at $400 million as it was last year. A coalition will be pressing for $600 million for
clean water infrastructure, after the fulfillment of a 5-year, $5 billion commitment in last year’s
budget.

Both Harckham and Glick indicated support for a $400 million EPF. They also set a minimum of
$500 million for water infrastructure.

“It has to at least be $500 million,” Glick said.

“We can't reduce that,” Harckham added. “What with the age of infrastructure, with lead, with
failing septics, with all of this stuff, we have billions and billions of dollars worth of projects in the
Hudson Valley alone.”

Hochul briefly mentions climate goals in State of the State address

Catherine Wheeler
NCPR
January 9, 2024

Gov. Hochul didn’t mention her environmental priorities very much in her State of the State speech
yesterday. She did highlight New York’s climate goals.

"We’ll protect the environment by planting 25 million trees, funding resiliency efforts, expand solar
access, and make sure our state meets our bold emissions targets," she said.

The North Country is one of the regions around the state that’s been impacted by the state’s push
for renewable energy.

One controversial commercial solar project in the Town of Canton that’s yet to be approved is
anticipated to power more than 61,000 New York homes and house a battery storage site. Hochul
says she’s also going to push for more investment in family farms.

Meanwhile, environmental advocates have called on Hochul to include a package of bills in this
legislative session.

Katherine Nadeau with New York Renews says they want the state’s biggest polluters to foot the bill
for infrastructure improvements.
“While New Yorkers are busy dealing with the incredibly expensive, immediate, life-changing, and
at times, fatal impacts of the climate crisis, massive corporations are pulling in record profits from
fossil fuels. They’re profiting from New Yorkers suffering," Nadeau said.

Advocates are also pushing for an additional $1 billion for the Climate Action Fund to support what
they call 30 “shovel-ready” environmental justice projects.

Hochul's top policy adviser to depart ahead of expected Assembly run

Nick Reisman
Politico
January 10, 2024

ALBANY, New York — Gov. Kathy Hochul’s top policy adviser is leaving the administration ahead of
an expected bid for the state Assembly seat.

Micah Lasher, who has served in Hochul’s administration as her director of policy since 2021, is
departing the governor's office amid talk of him running for the Upper West Side seat being vacated
at year's end by Democrat Danny O’Donnell.

Lasher’s last day in the governor’s office is Wednesday.

"Micah Lasher is a brilliant policymaker whose impact will be felt long into the future of our state,”
Hochul said in a statement to POLITICO.

“I was fortunate to have Micah by my side from the early days of my administration as we worked
to make New York more affordable, more livable and safer. He’s an incredible public servant and
we'll miss his contributions greatly."

Lasher’s potential bid for the state Assembly is not unexpected. He is due to appear at a Democratic
club’s forum scheduled for later Wednesday. He declined Wednesday to discuss his next steps.

Democrats Eli Northrup, Melissa Rosenberg and Barry Weinberg were also scheduled to attend.

Lasher is well acquainted with Albany. Prior to working for Hochul, Lasher served as the chief of
staff to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and as the director of state legislative affairs for Mayor
Michael Bloomberg.