ALBANY, New York — A real estate executive and generous donor to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul lobbied her administration on the future of a financially challenged transmission line.
Jeff Blau, CEO of the New York City real estate firm Related Cos, participated in a virtual meeting last year about the Clean Path transmission line with top Hochul officials, according to records obtained by POLITICO. The head of the New York State Research and Development Authority, the state’s clean energy agency, and the state Public Service Commission chair were both on the call.
Blau’s firm has invested in the transmission line, which holds a NYSERDA contract but currently has no clear financial path forward as costs have skyrocketed. He’s donated more than $87,000 to Hochul’s campaign coffers since 2021.
The virtual meeting in December 2023 came after the PSC rejected requests from renewable developers to rewrite competitively awarded contracts — a request Clean Path initially sought to piggyback on. Blau’s participation on the call has not been previously reported.
