Oneida Times

New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-C-Rome, and members of the Senate Republican Conference today unveiled the “Creating Lasting Affordable Energy for New York” legislative package aimed at ensuring a clean, affordable energy future for all New Yorkers.

These proposals come on the fifth anniversary of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) becoming law and ahead of the upcoming “Future Energy Economy Summit” in September.

This summer, critics have pointed to the administration's failure to meet benchmarks set by the CLCPA. Since its enactment, there has been widespread dissatisfaction among ratepayers, taxpayers, business organizations, and climate advocacy groups.

The comprehensive legislative package announced today by Sen. Griffo and the Republican Conference aims to protect both the environment and taxpayers' finances. It proposes delaying the CLCPA mandate while providing taxpayer relief, ensuring grid reliability, and maintaining a diverse energy portfolio to keep energy options affordable throughout New York State.

Proposals included in the package would:

- Delay implementation of CLCPA mandates by 10 years to develop a sustainable plan for affordable clean energy infrastructure.

- Create the “Ratepayer Relief Act” to determine true costs of CLCPA mandates and provide corresponding relief to ratepayers.

- Prevent closure of power generation facilities before new ones are operational and offer tax credits for backup power systems.

- Study feasibility of reactivating Indian Point and expand investment in alternative energy options.

- Encourage solar use by expanding residential solar energy credit up to $5,000 and introducing a new solar STAR credit for community projects.

- Establish a commission to evaluate grid electrification impact on heating system reliability during extreme winter weather incidents.

- Provide tax credits to hydroelectric plants offsetting relicensing costs to ensure continued operation as a clean power source.

- Create the “Rural Energy Infrastructure Act of 2025” offering tax credits for natural gas infrastructure buildout in underserved areas.

- Prohibit state-mandated electrification of personal vehicles.

- Establish a hydrogen vehicle task force to explore this clean fuel source.

“High taxes, onerous energy costs, burdensome regulations and problematic policies such as the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act have forced hardworking New Yorkers to flee the state at an alarming rate,” Sen. Griffo said. “We need a plan that helps struggling taxpayers, families, business owners and communities – not one that imposes unrealistic and unreasonable mandates that only make things more difficult for those who stay in the state. This commonsense package of legislation that the Senate Republican Conference has unveiled today, which includes a bill I have sponsored, will provide much-needed relief to taxpayers and ratepayers, improve the reliability of the grid and ensure that the state has a diversified energy portfolio. Approaches such as this can help us stop the exodus and build a stronger and more affordable future for New York.”

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