ALBANY, New York — New York’s Democratic governor wants to weaken one of the nation’s most ambitious climate laws in the name of affordability.
It’s a major shift for Gov. Kathy Hochul, who once championed New York’s climate efforts on a global stage and rejected permits for gas power plants. The moderate Democrat has laid the groundwork to seek changes in secretive, closed-door budget negotiations in Albany in the coming weeks.
“There were so many unforeseen factors,” Hochul told reporters on March 2, speaking of the 2019 climate law that set aggressive targets for curbing pollutants. “There’s going to be enormous costs.”
If Hochul succeeds in revising the 2019 law, it could be the most significant rollback on climate action in a liberal bastion since progressives embraced the “Green New Deal” concept.
