Lancaster, N.Y. (WBEN) - Congressman Nick Langworthy (R, NY-23) was in the Town of Lancaster on Tuesday to further discuss the impacts of the all-electrification push in New York State, and his efforts to push the Energy Choice Act forward in Washington, a bill that is geared toward blocking states or local governments from restricting people of specific energy sources for their homes or businesses.
Langworthy says the bill is set to be brought up in September when lawmakers return to Washington and reconvene the Energy and Commerce subcommittee. He knows time is of the essence with this bill, given the fact that New York is set to begin its all-electric initiatives this January.
"Jan. 1, 2026, you cannot build a beautiful new home with a natural gas hookup. Now, too many people still don't understand what's on the horizon, that this is law. This is not an idea, this is not a proposal, and how it's already had a drastic effect on the housing market and the cost to your energy bills," said Langworthy during Tuesday's visit to Western New York.
"When I tell people that I serve with in Congress from around the country that starting January 2026 it will be illegal to build a home here in New York with natural gas, their eyes pop out of their head. They don't understand why we would do something like this, given the weather that we live in here. It's an unAmerican assault on our freedom, our pocketbooks, and our safety."
Langworthy not only feels the full electrification push from New York is misguided, but it's also dangerous.
"I don't need to tell anyone here in Western New York what a lifeline natural gas is during a winter power outage. We all lived through the Christmas blizzard in '22. I was just a few short days from being sworn into Congress. Brutal cold, whiteout conditions and no way out. Power outages all over the place. ... I hope we never live through another Winter Storm Elliott, but the odds are not with us," Langworthy said. "I believe, with full conviction, that the death toll probably would have been tenfold if the full electrification mandates of Albany and Kathy Hochul were on the books back then. Whether it's the EV mandates or the ban on natural gas hookups if people didn't have natural gas to heat their homes and to stay alive. Some people froze to death in their homes and had electric heat. That's a fact. Those power outages lasted a long time. The winds were so drastic that power crews, despite being pre-positioned, couldn't go up in the bucket trucks to fix the power lines. Gas stoves and gas fireplaces literally saved lives here in Western New York."
According to Langworthy, calls flood his office on a daily basis from constituents in his district that don't want this mandate to take place, and don't trust it as we're just a few months away from frigid Buffalo and Western New York winters returning.
"It's based on political ideology, it's all that this policy is doing. This is not rooted in fact or practicality or market interest," Langworthy noted. "Natural gas is clean, it's reliable, it's affordable and it's abundant. The Southern Tier is full of natural gas, and they've banned us from harnessing it. They've taken that once in a generation opportunity to transform our economy and to take that natural gas from the ground, just like they've done in Ohio and Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They've taken that away from us, and that fight seems to be lost. But this fight just needs to begin."
As of right now, Langworthy says the bill has 46 co-sponsors from dozens of states that support this legislation. In addition, multiple state organizations and national organizations like the National Association of Home Builders are joining the fight against the ban on specific energy sources. Langworthy calls the support of the bill a "testament to the broad public support for energy freedom."
"The American people should decide what kind of energy they want to use in their home, not a government bureaucrat. Natural gas powers our homes, our manufacturing plants, hospitals and small businesses. It's both a lifeline for today and a bridge to our energy future," he said. "We know we have to ramp up nuclear. We know we need more energy on the grid to power the AI technology of tomorrow, the data centers. Taking natural gas off the table is idiotic, as we face these new international challenges. And I'm proud to be leading this fight to ban the bans, and protect New Yorkers rights to affordable energy for their homes. And I'm thrilled that this bill is getting tons of momentum, vast support from members across the country in various industries."