For too long Albany policymakers have approached the energy sector with a mindset of subtraction rather than addition. In the past, policies favored traditional energy sources while overlooking the promise of renewables. Today, the focus has shifted entirely to renewable energy while neglectfully disregarding the consequences for the workforce, consumers and the grid. The rapid push toward a carbon-free, all electric grid has come at a high cost—eliminating jobs, driving up energy bills, and, perhaps most concerning, revealing itself to be both unrealistic and unattainable.
For once, Albany has a realistic, forward-looking alternative Senator Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), Chair of the Senate Energy Committee along with Senator Sean Ryan (D-Buffalo) and Assemblyman William Conrad (D-Tonawanda) have introduced a package of bills that will, for the first time, shift New York’s energy strategy from subtraction to addition.
Together, this legislative package strikes a smart balance – simultaneously prioritizing jobs, affordable energy, and emissions reductions. We have always known that reducing energy usage is a key component for cutting emissions. One of the most effective ways to do that is through improving insulation and weatherization in homes and buildings. The bill sponsored by Senator Ryan and Assemblyman Conrad would do just that – creating good paying union jobs while reducing emissions. It’s a true win-win scenario.
Meanwhile, Senator Parker has introduced a suite of four bills that reflect a comprehensive vision for our energy future. His proposals would preserve existing natural gas jobs while also creating new ones. Through hybrid heating programs that integrate heat pump technology, accelerating the development of renewable natural gas, supporting clean hydrogen technology and advancing carbon capture projects to reduce emissions.
Together these bills chart a realistic and inclusive path forward – one that maintains vital energy jobs, creates new opportunities in clean energy and efficiency, and continued growth of renewable energy at a sustainable pace.
This package of bills is proof that New York can correct courses. We do not have to choose between jobs and emissions reductions. We can have both. And we can do it without sacrificing the employees that have kept our energy systems running for decades.
With the legislative session quickly drawing to a close, we urge lawmakers to take swift action on this package of bills. New York has always been a leader in innovation. Now is the time to do it again, and show the rest of the nation what’s possible.
