(WBEN) - Governor Kathy Hochul over the weekend announced that she will propose altering the state's clean energy laws to delay implementation, with the goal of preventing skyrocketing energy bills.
Now she moves to find out if she has the support of lawmakers to make that happen.
It would require changes to the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) which aims to have 70% of the state's energy be renewable by 2030, and 100% renewable by 2040.
"I was not there in 2019, and I could only imagine some of the conversations, but the world is very different," said Assembly member Bill Conrad. "I think what the Governor is saying is quite reasonable."
Hochul has not said exactly what she wants changed, but in an Op-Ed in the Empire Report, she proposed changing the way the law calculates emissions, while also pushing for the timeline to be delayed by 10 years.
If the changes happen, it's not a guarantee utility bills will go down.
"I don't think any of the maneuvers that she's looking to do are going to dramatically reduce energy costs," Conrad said. "I think she's trying to prevent them from going up even further. We're using right now... about 55% of our electricity is being produced by oil and gas right now."
Conrad said he's willing to have the conversation about getting an off ramp for the energy rules, but others in Albany are not.
