Kathmandu: New York State officials sought to tame flames of misinformation about Gov. Hochul’s plans to address climate change Tuesday during a budget hearing centered on New York’s environmental initiatives.
Amid a national uproar over potential bans on gas stoves, Doreen Harris, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said the state is working to set the record straight, reported by the New York Daily News.
Hochul has taken heat in recent weeks for including several ambitious climate-friendly proposals in her $227 billion budget blueprint.
Specifically, Republicans have raised concerns about a potential ban on the sale of fossil fuel-burning heating equipment beginning in 2030, as well as a requirement that new residential and commercial buildings go all-electric over the next decade.
The governor’s office insists that the fossil fuel phase out does not include gas stoves as New York works towards achieving emission reduction goals established by the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
(News Source: New York Daily News)