Gov. Kathy Hochul’s rapid retreat last week on a technical change to state environmental laws shows who’s really in charge of New York’s climate agenda: the extremists.
She wanted to shift the accounting for the impact of methane emissions from a 20-year to the 100-year outlook used by most states, including those that surround New York, to enable interstate cooperation in things like her “cap and trade” plan.
But the green lobby erupted, since the change would make it look like the state’s done better than the existing standard suggests.
Less than a day after she announced it, Team Hochul declared it wouldn’t be a priority after all.
Yes, the change would’ve kosherized a slow retreat from burning natural gas — the fuel that now produces most of the Empire State’s electricity.
But the fact remains that New York’s official “net zero” plan to slash carbon emissions is wildly impractical, entailing half a trillion dollars in spending to be mostly covered by New Yorkers’ utility bills.
Hochul jumped fully on board that fantasy on taking over from disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo as she faced a tough 2022 campaign — but now that she’s starting a four-year term in her own right, reality might be kicking in.
Her administration’s aborted push for the methane-accounting change featured warnings that “affordability” for consumers needs to be part of the discussion.
No! screamed the greens, and the gov backed down, at least for now.
And no matter that the feds and UN specialists use the 100-year measure too, or that it’s more accurate since most atmospheric impact of methane (versus other greenhouse gases) comes in the first two decades.
But the actual math matters: The impact of the state’s current plan will be brutal, slamming consumers and businesses and driving both to flee the soaring electricity rates it imposes.
“New York’s regulatory mandates could result in a shift in economic activity and emissions out of state for no net emission reductions,” warned the Business Council response to Hochul’s retreat.
Sooner or later, the voters will wake up and demand a reassessment: Polls show Americans won’t spend anything like what these plans require to combat climate change, and no utility can avoid massive hikes in what it charges under New York’s mandates.
The only question is how much money New York burns before seeing sense.
That includes Hochul, who’s still coming for your gas stoves.
𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 & 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘆: nypost.com
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