BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) Governor Kathy Hochul is proposing to make New York the first state in the nation to ban natural gas heating and appliances in new buildings by 2025 and to prohibit the sale of fossil fuel heating systems by 2030.
Members of Erie County's Republican caucus have introduced a resolution opposing the ban and are hoping to draw bipartisan support for the measure.
"This will put an added strain on our electrical grid, and will likely lead to more blackouts, not to mention that it is unsafe for residents not to have other options," said Legislator Chris Greene, of Clarence.
"It's also going to result in a cost between 20-thousand and 50-thousand dollars per household to convert to electric. And that does not include any kind of backup system in the event of an outage."
When it comes to backup options, to gas-powered generators, there are only three ; solar, wind, or battered-powered generators.
"Tesla charges $10K per wall unit and each wall unit is limited, meaning
you would need multiple wall units for a full backup," said Greene. "Some people could be looking at an additional 50K or 60K to have a backup system."
Greene and the Republican Caucus want to send a message to representatives in Albany that this is not a good plan for Western New York. "We need people to call their local state representative and let them know
this is unacceptable," he said.
Greene added that it's going to be devastating not only for homeowners but for businesses. "All of our restaurants, all of our manufacturing facilities are going to have to do a conversion. It's not like we compete on a local or regional level. We compete nationally and globally and this is an unnecessary financial burden. It's going to push a lot of businesses out of state."
The measure by the Republican Caucus was introduced this week. "I'm going to push for a vote on it," said Greene. "Everyone in Western New York deserves to know where their representative stands on this." Greene has not reached out across the aisle yet, but he expects it to be sent to a committee for further discussion next week.
"We just came off a blizzard that killed more than 40 people. Some froze to death. I can't imagine telling a constituent that I voted to take away their most reliable heat source."