Assemblyman Joseph Angelino (R,C-Norwich)

Column by Assemblyman Joseph Angelino (R,C-Norwich)

 

All across the state, families are seeing a rise in their electric bills; not a day goes by that someone doesn’t email, call or stop and ask me about their energy bill. I explain that it seems the Majority legislators in Albany either don’t care or are willfully ignorant of the problem. They continue to push ahead with their impractical and unrealistic energy plan. Their ultimate goal is to completely dismantle the state's natural gas infrastructure and get everyone to switch to electricity. We have seen as much with the impending 2026 gas stove and appliances ban and the end of the 100-foot rule for gas line connections.

 

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that this will do two things. The first is raising rates on families as they are forced to abandon the cheaper product, which is natural gas, and be forced to use the most expensive power sources, wind and solar. The second is that New York’s electric grid isn’t built to withstand everyone in the state using electricity nonstop. Engineers and the Independent Power Producers of New York, Inc. (IPPNY) have been warning of the instability of wind and solar as long as I’ve been in Albany. They warn there is a real danger of rolling brownouts and possibly blackouts.

 

My Republican colleagues and I have introduced several bills to help remedy this and expose to the people of New York the true cost of the climate saving plans, but the Majority has killed them all every step of the way. For example, my Conference introduced a bill that would require the Public Service Commission to conduct a full cost-benefit analysis of the feasibility of renewable energy in New York (A.5395). We also introduced a bill that would require a monthly report to the ratepayers about how tax dollars are being spent on utilities, as well as a detailed breakdown to consumers of costs associated with the energy plans.

 

Of course, in typical one-party-ruled Albany fashion, the Majority doesn’t like it when transparency is involved, or if someone questions their ideas, so they decided to vote down those bills. They claim their policies save money. If that’s the case, why are they so afraid to let ratepayers know the costs associated with their plans?

 

This is all on top of the fact that New York is one of the cleanest and greenest when it comes to being environmentally friendly in its energy production. In fact, New York state is responsible for 0.4% of global carbon emissions. Even if we could go completely carbon-free, it would not make a dent in global emissions, but there will be a dent in the ratepayers' pocketbooks. As long as the worst of the worst of polluters, such as China and India, continue to operate as they do, anything we do in New York will just make New Yorkers poorer.

 

The Majority is simply out of touch with these basic facts; instead, they would rather virtue signal to their far-left base than actually make life more affordable for average New Yorkers. There is no shame in admitting you messed up and were wrong, as long as you then work to right that wrong, but it seems the Majority in Albany has no plans to do so.

Assemblyman Angelino represents the 121st  Assembly District, which includes parts of Broome County, Delaware County, Madison County, Chenango County and Otsego County. Follow Assemblyman Angelino on Facebook.