WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Chairwoman of House Republican Leadership, along with Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23), Congressman Nick LaLota (NY-01), Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02), Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17), Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), and Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11) sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to veto bill S8417 (Krueger)/A8888 (Simon) currently on the Governor's desk that seeks to eliminate New York's longstanding "100-foot rule" for natural gas hookups to residential homes and commercial buildings.
"The elimination of the "100-foot rule" is a direct and damaging blow to Upstate New York families who are already bearing the weight of surging costs from your war on affordable energy. Forcing future homeowners to shoulder the full material and installation costs for connecting to natural gas service with costs that are up to $14,000 per home will only worsen the state’s ongoing housing crisis and make the American Dream of home ownership less attainable for New Yorkers," the lawmakers wrote.
"That is precisely why members of the New York delegation support protecting the right of consumers and businesses to access reliable and affordable energy with the passage of H.R. 3699, the Energy Choice Act, in the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee," they added.
Stefanik and the New York delegation posed the following questions and requests to Hochul, pressing her on her support for this detrimental legislation:
- How can you justify imposing an effective tax of up to $14,000 on new homeowners by eliminating the 100-foot rule, especially when combined with other out of touch state mandates that are already making housing unaffordable?
- What specific, independently verified steps is the state taking to immediately bolster grid capacity and resilience to manage the increased demand from rapid, politically-driven electrification without compromising the reliability warnings issued by the NYISO?
- Do you support the principle, as codified in the "Energy Choice Act," that consumers and small businesses should retain the fundamental right to choose the most affordable and reliable energy source for their homes, families, and businesses?
- Given that natural gas is significantly cheaper than electric heat, how do policies that actively eliminate the most affordable option for New York families align with your stated goal of addressing the state's affordability crisis?
- Will you commit to reviewing the principles of H.R. 3699, the "Energy Choice Act," and apply its standard of consumer choice and reliable access for families to your decision process of S8417/A8888?
Last month, Stefanik, Langworthy, Tenney, Lawler, and New York Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, and Members of the New York State Assembly held a press conference condemning Kathy Hochul's burdensome natural gas ban that will jeopardize New Yorkers’ lives during the winter and cause their energy bills to skyrocket.
There, Stefanik championed the Energy Choice Act, noting that since Hochul continues to force her unaffordable energy policies on New Yorkers, Congress will take matters into its own hands and pass Langworthy's legislation to prevent the Worst Governor in America's radical natural gas ban.
Read the letter HERE.
