NY HEAT Act

February 9th, 2024

RE: Repeals provisions relating to continuation of gas service; repeals provisions relating
to the sale of indigenous natural gas for generation of electricity.
S.2016-B (Krueger) / A.4592 (Fahy)

MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION

Upstate United, a non-partisan, pro-taxpayer, pro-economic growth, education and advocacy
coalition made up of business and trade organizations from all parts of Upstate New York,
opposes this legislation.

This bill which would add another layer of bureaucracy and confusion to the state’s complex
climate initiatives, lawmakers should focus on how to improve laws that are already in place.
We agree action is needed to curb climate change, but a one-size-fits-all approach is dangerous
and unrealistic due to extreme cold weather and diverse geography of New York.

Additionally, this measure would have a disproportionate impact on Upstate residents and
remove choice from how they heat/power their homes and businesses. It’s also detrimental to
residents who live in areas where alternatives simply aren’t as cost effective, reliable or as
available as natural gas. Unfortunately, this proposal, like many proposals meant to implement
the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, will have a disproportionate
impact on communities across Upstate New York.

It is important to understand the realities and consequences of a misguided proposal like the
NY HEAT Act, and what it would mean for New York residents and business owners. On top of
increasing costs for consumers, while reducing reliability, it will eliminate the availability of
fossil fuels sooner than there would be alternative options to replace them with. It is absolutely
unacceptable to risk the lives of people in an Upstate NY winter without ensuring that the new
heating infrastructure is functioning, safe and reliable.

More than 60% of New Yorkers use natural gas to heat their homes. At a time where New York
is facing an unprecedented population decline and already rapidly rising energy costs, the
solution is not to make energy more expensive and heating our homes more unreliable. For
these reasons, Upstate United strongly opposes this proposal.