Hochul: ‘do Not Question My Credentials’ On Climate, Clean Energy

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is defending her decision to walk back New York’s carbon emissions targets, telling POLITICO the state is committed to fighting climate change but that it cannot hit its near-term goals while keeping energy affordable for residents.

The changes Hochul enacted to New York's climate law earlier this year generated fierce pushback from environmental activists who said the state "cannot afford to wait" for more action, with some alleging Hochul did not even attempt to meet the original goals.

Asked in an interview on POLITICO's Energy podcast whether she was ignoring climate action in favor of a slower, more practical approach to clean energy, Hochul pushed back.

“If you think we're doing nothing in New York, I encourage you to look at where we are in relation to other states,” she said. “Please do not question my credentials in this space.”

Environmental groups have criticized Hochul for pushing and signing legislation that allows the state to ignore a 2030 emissions goal set in 2019 and delaying deadlines to set new emissions rules.

Hochul defended her climate and clean energy record, noting the revised climate law maintains the state’s 2050 net-zero emissions goal. She also described the party’s liberal and moderate flanks as aligned on the need to quickly pivot to clean energy.

“I'm more honest about this than a lot of people are,” Hochul said. “A lot of people said, ‘We know you can't meet them, governor — wink, wink. Just ignore them, but don't change the law.’ I'm not gonna be dishonest.”

The changes came as political leaders across the country are facing voters’ anger over rising costs — particularly for energy, which has outpaced inflation. New York residents’ power prices are the fourth highest in the country, driven by the retirements of old plants, costs to upgrade its aging grid and rising natural gas prices. With new energy-hungry semiconductor manufacturing plants and artificial intelligence data centers planned for the state, the power crunch could get worse in the coming years.

Hochul said those challenges were on top of other factors that weighed against New York’s now-defunct 2030 climate goal and pledge to issue new emissions rules. The COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions significantly boosted clean energy costs since New York adopted the 2019 law. The Trump administration’s efforts to block planned offshore wind farms — over which Hochul is suing — have undercut those goals, too.

Maintaining the course would have meant even higher power bills for residents who can ill afford it, she said.

“I have to manage the challenge of ensuring that we continue our clean energy objectives and our goals — move them forward — but also to make sure that we're not putting this on the backs of the ratepayers,” she said. “And so that's what we had to do, is just ask for a little more breathing room. It was not a repeal.”

Hochul said the state is well ahead of its goals to deploy more distributed solar power, reaching 8 gigawatts of capacity this year out of a 10 gigawatt target by 2030. A long-planned, major transmission line delivering hydropower from Quebec to New York went online in June, promising 1.3 gigawatts of low-emissions electricity.

The governor acknowledged the transmission line, the Champlain Hudson Power Express, has endured some early hiccups that led to outages. That the project is running at all after more than a decade of work and opposition from several communities is testament to the state’s commitment to its clean energy goals, she said.

“We have no choice but to move forward and move forward aggressively. Too much time has been lost,” she said. “I'm hardwired to listen to local governments and local residents on what they want for their communities. But I have to focus on the bigger picture.”

Hochul’s next big push — to add 5 gigawatts of new nuclear power — is likely to face similar obstacles. While New York gets about one-fifth of its power from nuclear energy, constructing new reactors is a different story. Since the 1990s, the U.S. has built just two large reactors — both at Southern Company’s Vogtle Power Plant in Georgia — which soared over budget even with billions of dollars from the Energy Department.

Hochul vowed New York would not share that fate. The state has sites in mind and businesses and developers have approached her about starting projects, she said.

She also expressed interest in tapping into the $17.5 billion financing program the Trump administration Energy Department announced last month for new nuclear projects.

“We don't have to have the same kind of cost overruns that they saw, for example, in Georgia,” she said. “There's lessons to be learned from that project. We're not going to let that happen.”