Nineteen Assembly Democrats urged Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday to delay a harsh building electrification goal over affordability and reliability concerns. [emphasis, links added]
Led by Assemblymember William Conrad, members across the Empire State warned in the letter that the electric building mandate banning gas appliances for most new structures starting Dec. 31, 2025, could strain New York’s grid and hike consumer costs.
New York utility companies are reportedly struggling to meet the aggressive electrification mandate. If fully enforced, the policy could worsen existing strains on the power grid, some energy experts and state officials previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“New York’s gas stove ban is collapsing under the weight of its own hypocrisy. Even Democratic lawmakers are waking up to the reality that electrification mandates, driven by the state’s full embrace of Net Zero and decarbonization, are driving up costs and straining an already fragile grid,” Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, told the DCNF.
“When the Assembly’s own majority leader is asking for a delay, it’s clear the climate agenda has run headfirst into the limits of physics and affordability. The governor should scrap this mandate altogether and put consumers first.”
READ: Assembly Sign onto Letter About All Electric Buildings
The “All-Electric Building Act” requires most new buildings to run primarily on electricity and ban gas appliances, with few exceptions, starting Dec. 31, 2025.
New York enacted appliance regulations as part of its 2040 green energy mandate, with some of the highest average utility bills in the U.S., according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The assembly members, including Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, have been urging Hochul to punt the mandate in recent weeks.
Though Conrad and his fellow assembly members note that they generally agree with Hochul’s green energy goals, they argue that the building electrification timeline is too stringent and should be paused to allow for thorough grid and consumer impact testing.
The assembly members also asked that Hochul allow “clean energy” project build-outs and permitting reform “before imposing blanket electrification requirements.”
Hochul stated she is “seriously” reviewing upstate members’ concerns with the legislation she first championed as a major climate victory in May 2023.
New York is set to be the first state to ban gas stoves and furnaces in most new buildings, though Hochul recently stressed the importance of affordability and reliability when it comes to energy policy.
“While I share the long-term goal of decarbonizing our state, I believe the imminent requirement to mandate all-electric new buildings must be paused pending thorough reassessment of grid reliability, cost impacts, and risk mitigation,” Conrad wrote in the letter.
“The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has flagged serious concerns that warrant a more cautious approach.”
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