North Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - Local Republican New York State Legislators are outraged at the potential natural gas appliance ban and the potential impacts it could have on successful local restaurants and businesses.
New York State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Mike Norris held a press conference on Friday highlighting the damaging effect that this gas appliance ban has on, homeowners, restaurants and others businesses.
"We've been watching this unfold since 2019, when the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act was passed," said Senator Ortt. "In that bill, they set out very aggressive climate goals and emissions goals but they didn't set out how we were going to get there. Those details are important. One, because that determines whether it's achievable and two, who has to ultimately help achieve those goals? Not the government, but the people of the State of New York, their role in how much it was going to cost and how we were going to do it. The impact on them, was never mentioned."
Gov. Kathy Hochul is making recommendations from the Climate Action Council, who, based on their reports, have suggested the banning of gas, fossil fuel-based appliances and energy sources, in homes, in new buildings and commercial buildings, according to Senator Ortt.
Senator Ortt also mentions restaurants are also going to feel the heat if this ban were to go in effect.
"For the last couple years, it has been hard to be a restauranteur in New York State and you can't find anyone that is going to tell you that they can't wait, that their food is going to be better, their operations are going to be better when they have to fully electrify their kitchen. In fact, I'll bet I'll bet you some restaurants will just say that's it for me because other states aren't doing this," he said.
"I'm a restaurant owner, myself," Senator Borrello mentions. "The whole idea of converting our businesses not being able to cook with gas is outrageous and on top of that, who's going to pay for this?"
Senator Borrello is a member of the New York State Restaurant Association, where they conduct meetings in person and via the internet and they've discussed this particular issue at length.
"They're all very frustrated. We can get a position paper from the New York State Restaurant Association about how bad this is, but in the end, it's direct contact with those senators and assembly members that's going to make that difference," Borrello said. "I have had people tell me that they are probably just going to give up, that is not an exaggeration. In fact, my wife today said to me, 'If this happens, what are we going to do?' You know, There's enough people deciding to shut their businesses down as it is, we don't need restaurants doing that."
Senator Borello also mentions how inefficient operations would be.
"It's not just the cooking part. It's about heating a restaurant, it's about being able to have some kind of a consistent ability to deliver food quickly," he said. "You can get an induction stove and that might be great in your house, but when you've got a restaurant full of people and you're trying to turn the tables, it's not going to work. Everything else is going to be much, much slower than electric based ways of cooking. So that means the less tables you turn, the less money you make."
"The restaurants who leave, who close up, especially in New York City, these are folks who can open a restaurant anywhere in the country, maybe anywhere in the world, in some cases," Senator Ortt added.
Going forward, both Legislators are urging New Yorkers to make the calls to their local legislators to speak out on the issue.
"There's a cost you pay, and there's a cost to bear. We're all going to pay a cost," said Senator Ortt.
